tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55975229302553131122018-06-23T03:32:43.059-04:00Leaving It All On The FieldTiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.comBlogger175125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-51032296375900068402017-09-01T13:06:00.001-04:002017-09-01T13:06:17.060-04:00CURE's Kids Conquer Cancer One Day at a Time - 2017: Bailey M - CURE Childhood Cancer<a href="http://curecc.convio.net/site/TR/3rdParty/General?px=1001524">CURE's Kids Conquer Cancer One Day at a Time - 2017: Bailey M - CURE Childhood Cancer</a>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-16861834416502162442016-03-08T10:27:00.000-05:002016-03-08T10:46:27.755-05:00China Extras <div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Our trip to China is a wrap. There were a number of random things that didn’t really fit into another post, so I’m putting them here. Some because they are entertaining and others, because I don't want to forget any of the details.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><br /></span></span></div><ul><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"><li><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">A source of much hilarity for us and much stress for our girls were the squatty potties. Many countries have some version them, although I’d have to say that they make more sense to me in a less industrialized area. However, they seem to be the toilet of choice in China, especially in the smaller cities and more traditional settings. These were not the hole in the ground like you would find in other countries, but rather an actual flushing toilet nestled level with the floor. An added bonus is that you needed to bring your own toilet paper. The first time Emmy met up with a squatty potty, it drove her to tears. Then in her words, “Her pee was on the time change,” and she simply refused to go during the day. Bailey insisted that her “kneekle” on her amputated leg does not bend far enough, so she tried to avoid them as well. It was inevitable that at some point &nbsp;they would have to use one…and now Emmy is traumatized for life. She has been beaten by a toilet.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;</span></li></span></ul><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JlVtPivs0LQ/VtK6f0p1hZI/AAAAAAAADAY/DTMC2QzeKxQ/s1600/IMG_1139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JlVtPivs0LQ/VtK6f0p1hZI/AAAAAAAADAY/DTMC2QzeKxQ/s400/IMG_1139.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;"></div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><ul><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"><li><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">The driving is insane. There are about 2,000,000 scooters on the road and an equal number of bikes. There don’t seem to be any rules. It is completely normal to see an elderly lady riding her bike through the middle of an intersection or a mom with a baby on a scooter weaving in and out of traffic. Pedestrians beware. You do not have the right of way and they will hit you. It is madness.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;</span></li></span></ul><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><ul></ul><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1HR6f4WTHMQ/VtK6pkbCGfI/AAAAAAAADAk/3dvvfcf-fms/s1600/IMG_1270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1HR6f4WTHMQ/VtK6pkbCGfI/AAAAAAAADAk/3dvvfcf-fms/s400/IMG_1270.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xlegyijHOmo/VtK62FIsujI/AAAAAAAADA0/6hq8bWvoJ1g/s1600/IMG_1277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xlegyijHOmo/VtK62FIsujI/AAAAAAAADA0/6hq8bWvoJ1g/s400/IMG_1277.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lady almost being hit by a van.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bppMC8YxuRM/VtK6rcY9vzI/AAAAAAAADAo/z9-gXAF9e0w/s1600/IMG_1268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bppMC8YxuRM/VtK6rcY9vzI/AAAAAAAADAo/z9-gXAF9e0w/s400/IMG_1268.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X6NsvnVMEAc/VtK6twWY8UI/AAAAAAAADAs/TXnNsqR2kRU/s1600/IMG_1274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X6NsvnVMEAc/VtK6twWY8UI/AAAAAAAADAs/TXnNsqR2kRU/s400/IMG_1274.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TAOkE4OoVkA/VtK6vthbF4I/AAAAAAAADAw/849POSFx3CQ/s1600/IMG_1276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TAOkE4OoVkA/VtK6vthbF4I/AAAAAAAADAw/849POSFx3CQ/s400/IMG_1276.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;"></div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><ul><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"><li><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">I ate these potato chips one day. I’m not proud, but I</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">was desperate and there was no other choice. They were steak-flavored. They did not taste good, but the smell was even worse.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;(Luke informed me that he also saw roasted squid-flavored chips.)</span></li></span></ul><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><ul></ul><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AsgbDLk6VYY/VtK647Fq21I/AAAAAAAADA4/d7YZ7Kdm4xY/s1600/IMG_1285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AsgbDLk6VYY/VtK647Fq21I/AAAAAAAADA4/d7YZ7Kdm4xY/s400/IMG_1285.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;"></div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><ul style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"></span></ul><div style="font-family: inherit;"><ul><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">In a restaurant, the waiters only come to you if you call them. If you want service, you must constantly wave them to your table. Additionally, if you try to customize something on the menu when ordering, it sends them into complete confusion and panic. Something as simple as a cheeseburger with no cheese…it is too much to handle.&nbsp;</span></li></ul></div><div><ul><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">All over China you see recycling trash cans. There are also the long-standing&nbsp;</span>traditions<span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;of Feng Shui and Yin and Yang. The Chinese are very&nbsp;concerned with the aesthetics of things. If there is a round&nbsp;building, they put a square one next to it. On a cold day, they drink warm water. The&nbsp;architecture is quite&nbsp;beautiful. And yet, almost every town has smoke stacks billowing pollution. There is horrible smog. This picture below was from Lexi's home town of Datong, which was filled with these. And most people in China smoke, which also seems contradictory. It feels a bit hypocritical and it was fairly obvious that the China the government wants you to see and the real China are two very different things</span></li></ul></div><ul><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"></span></ul><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2LXhVP1tmqM/VtrWdezvk7I/AAAAAAAADGg/kwOdByzY5qk/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2LXhVP1tmqM/VtrWdezvk7I/AAAAAAAADGg/kwOdByzY5qk/s400/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><div style="font-family: inherit;"></div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><ul><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Elevators - The doors close extremely fast. If you don't hop on in about four seconds, you miss it.&nbsp;</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><ul><span style="font-family: inherit;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">We came across some unusual and different things in our hotels. One was a window into the bathroom. The curtain was completely sheer and served no purpose. (You could see all the business that was happening.)&nbsp;</span></li></span></ul><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;"></div><ul></ul><br /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TDLYaHkK5S0/VtK8os12qcI/AAAAAAAADBQ/dUhNupXhT_s/s1600/IMG_1258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TDLYaHkK5S0/VtK8os12qcI/AAAAAAAADBQ/dUhNupXhT_s/s400/IMG_1258.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AKwVSQ9rrT8/VtK8pAM3n2I/AAAAAAAADBU/buAzKC1t3-M/s1600/IMG_1257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AKwVSQ9rrT8/VtK8pAM3n2I/AAAAAAAADBU/buAzKC1t3-M/s400/IMG_1257.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><ul><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"><li><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">Another was a mirror in the shower.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;(Um...no thank you.)</span></li></span></ul><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><ul></ul><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w6LEWz0qSNI/VtK8olAwsiI/AAAAAAAADBM/YLiHD-sIvCE/s1600/IMG_1259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w6LEWz0qSNI/VtK8olAwsiI/AAAAAAAADBM/YLiHD-sIvCE/s400/IMG_1259.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;"></div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><ul><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"><li><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">These were the double beds that the kids shared. Super cozy.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;</span></li></span></ul><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><ul></ul><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y8W2y83pW7Y/VtK6f3NUdFI/AAAAAAAADAc/32SDBB9Vgfg/s1600/IMG_1255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y8W2y83pW7Y/VtK6f3NUdFI/AAAAAAAADAc/32SDBB9Vgfg/s400/IMG_1255.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;"></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><ul><span style="font-family: inherit;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Children don’t ride in car seats in China, they typically just sit in someone’s lap. We actually drove by a car with a car seat. But the passenger sitting next to it was holding the baby in their lap and the car seat was empty. So Lexi has never been in a car seat, but upon arriving home will have to spend her life in one. That should be a fun adjustment. Said this mom, never.&nbsp;</span></li></span></ul><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><ul><span style="font-family: inherit;"><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Because of both the language barrier and inability to custom order at restaurants, Luke and Emmy existed (due to their anaphylactic food allergies) on these camping meals and various snacks. They packed a thermos in the morning and then always had something with them to eat. It worked pretty well, although by the end they were very tired of camping meals. We did have food allergy cards written in Mandarin, but many times we felt like we couldn't fully trust what they were telling us because they don't have to deal with food allergies in China.&nbsp;</span></li></span></ul><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br /><ul></ul><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;"></div><ul></ul><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_SduxZtqy0k/VtK6kbnusXI/AAAAAAAADAg/LGNrU4DHdrs/s1600/IMG_1262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_SduxZtqy0k/VtK6kbnusXI/AAAAAAAADAg/LGNrU4DHdrs/s400/IMG_1262.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: inherit; text-align: start;"></span><br /><ul><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: inherit; text-align: start;"><li><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: inherit; text-align: start;">There are several Wal-Marts in Guangzhou. They are very similar to Wal-Mart at home. Except, you can buy live turtles and other sea life…to take home for dinner.&nbsp;</span></li></span></ul><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: inherit; text-align: start;"></span><br /><ul></ul><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DlwVDI2lAtI/VtK66YakklI/AAAAAAAADA8/rXaLGx-cXSw/s1600/IMG_1297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DlwVDI2lAtI/VtK66YakklI/AAAAAAAADA8/rXaLGx-cXSw/s400/IMG_1297.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ul><li>All of the hotels had a breakfast buffet. There was quite a large selection of both Chinese food as well as choices from other countries. Most days it was our largest meal because we weren't certain when or what we would eat again. My breakfast usually consisted of bacon, a hard-boiled egg, steamed cabbage and rice noodles. There were a lot of fresh produce options as well, but we stayed away from those in an effort to avoid any chance of tummy yuckiness.&nbsp;</li></ul><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-82D2fq0n_ik/Vt7rE8TkeBI/AAAAAAAADG0/cvouS10kcpQ/s1600/IMG_1358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-82D2fq0n_ik/Vt7rE8TkeBI/AAAAAAAADG0/cvouS10kcpQ/s400/IMG_1358.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><ul><li>Everywhere we went, we were like celebrities or a freak show...depending on how you choose to look at it. There were so many people staring and taking pictures of the kids. We had to keep reminding ourselves it was a cultural thing. It was fun at first, but by the end of our time, the kids were tired of it and would hide behind Patrick. We had a lot of things the Chinese people found intriguing and different...a large family, two children with light hair and fair skin, and an African. On the last day, Bailey wore shorts and her prosthetic was visible, which drew some of the longest stares of all.</li></ul><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HqolB06QRI0/VtrWdpSX5bI/AAAAAAAADGk/kva1B8ETL_Y/s1600/IMG_0927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HqolB06QRI0/VtrWdpSX5bI/AAAAAAAADGk/kva1B8ETL_Y/s400/IMG_0927.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We loved our time in China and all of the new experiences it brought. We expected differences and we tried to be respectful and adaptable. But we are we are feeling very thankful to be home to what we know and what is familiar.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">God bless America.&nbsp;</span></div><br /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; min-height: 13px;"><br /></div></div></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-12903419218255917892016-03-05T07:24:00.002-05:002016-03-05T08:34:28.754-05:00Home Sweet Home We left our hotel in Guangzhou to head to the airport at 5:00am on Wednesday morning. The travel days are hard and we were braced for a long one. Our itinerary was Guangzhou to Shanghai to Detroit to Atlanta. It was going to be a tough day, even if all went smoothly.<br /><br />Upon arriving at the ticket check-in counter in Guangzhou we found a very long line. At the front of this line was a large group of Chinese people yelling at the Shanghai Airlines employee working the desk. It was crazy. We were a little slow to catch on, but we should have quickly realized that our day was not off to a good start. The people in line already knew what we didn't, that our first flight wasn't happening.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zgo2vS211cg/Vtq4_rit19I/AAAAAAAADGE/CHAM3H9lrJQ/s1600/IMG_8489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zgo2vS211cg/Vtq4_rit19I/AAAAAAAADGE/CHAM3H9lrJQ/s400/IMG_8489.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This should have been our first clue that the day was headed downhill before it even began.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Our 7:30am flight was delayed until 9:50am. Then pushed even later. There was a maintenance issue and the plane wasn't even at the Guangzhou airport. The first delay caused us to miss our connecting flight and thus threw the entire day into chaos. Fortunately, I have a smart hubby who travels quite a bit. We quickly got the sense that this flight would never happen and waiting for it meant that we would not be leaving for home on Wednesday. We found a spot in Starbucks and camped there while Patrick frantically ran around the airport making things happen. It isn't like being at home where you can just call the airline and sort it out. We were flying a Chinese airline and no one spoke English. At one point Patrick was attempting to understand what was going on with our first plane and the employee began flapping and pointing to her arm saying, "The wing is broken." It was like a bad game of charades.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-atNsQqz9Kn4/Vtq7O5f1r6I/AAAAAAAADGQ/9nBX0gJlY4g/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-atNsQqz9Kn4/Vtq7O5f1r6I/AAAAAAAADGQ/9nBX0gJlY4g/s400/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was our sweet helper. We could not have so quickly changed our flights without her assistance.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Patrick finally found someone who was willing to help us sort out the mess. She took him through the process (although the charades continued because she didn't speak English either) and she even walked him step by step to various locations in the airport. We were ready to get home and another night in a hotel was not an option. We rebooked the entire trip. This time with long layovers and a less than ideal itinerary and seating plan. We were going from Guangzhou to Shanghai to Los Angeles to Atlanta. It was insane and left me in the airport Starbucks with five kids for hours while Patrick sprinted through the airport trying to make the changes...including the retrieval of all seven of our suitcases from the first plane to then carry them himself to be re-checked on our new plane.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3-QwKdLPLyk/Vtq3-YQGS-I/AAAAAAAADF4/5ZYixkNFxXE/s1600/IMG_1402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3-QwKdLPLyk/Vtq3-YQGS-I/AAAAAAAADF4/5ZYixkNFxXE/s400/IMG_1402.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />By the time we boarded the plane to head to Shanghai, we had already been at the Guangzhou airport for six hours and gone nowhere. But finally, our forward motion had officially begun. So had the long day of sitting in airports waiting out layovers. We had five hours after the flight to Shanghai and seven in L.A. It certainly would not have been our choice to do it that way with five kids in town, but it turns out we made the right decision to reroute. As we were leaving Guangzhou, we saw on the monitor that our first flight, the one that was supposed to leave at 7:30am had been delayed to 5:00pm. Oh my.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTRbHurLnmw/Vtq3RnMKbII/AAAAAAAADFE/JwQ4bxtrBrQ/s1600/IMG_1401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTRbHurLnmw/Vtq3RnMKbII/AAAAAAAADFE/JwQ4bxtrBrQ/s400/IMG_1401.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />The kids had a great attitude and handled it well...better than their mama. I was on the cusp of a complete meltdown. The day had already felt daunting with our first plan. Contemplating an additional 12 hours of travel almost sent me over the edge. &nbsp;I think we were most disappointed that because our arrival time in Atlanta had changed from 6:30pm on Wednesday night to 6:00am on Thursday morning, it meant no airport greeting party. We were looking very forward to seeing our friends and having them meet Lexi at the airport, but 6am was above and beyond the call of duty, even for family.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eODpttSMB0c/Vtq3S-R2t0I/AAAAAAAADFM/rI0bgLSIeaE/s1600/IMG_1403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eODpttSMB0c/Vtq3S-R2t0I/AAAAAAAADFM/rI0bgLSIeaE/s400/IMG_1403.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thankfully we had gotten Lexi her own seat, because she ended up sleeping much of the way.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bmqnkMPaHss/Vtq3SZS1Z-I/AAAAAAAADFI/6vjoQ5Kibtc/s1600/IMG_8506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bmqnkMPaHss/Vtq3SZS1Z-I/AAAAAAAADFI/6vjoQ5Kibtc/s400/IMG_8506.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dkWgosq28I4/Vtq3TolYEjI/AAAAAAAADFc/q9srm4Z8yFU/s1600/IMG_8507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dkWgosq28I4/Vtq3TolYEjI/AAAAAAAADFc/q9srm4Z8yFU/s400/IMG_8507.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: start;">It was a long day of flying and waiting and flying and waiting. Once we arrived in L.A. though, the burden finally felt lighter because we were able to relax in the Delta Sky Club and eat American food. It was a wonderful respite after spending the prior hours sprawled out on various&nbsp;airport benches, &nbsp;struggling to find snacks and kill time. The other terrific gift was that Lexi traveled like a champ, sleeping much of the ten hours&nbsp;from China and four hours from L.A. It could have been completely awful, but because the kids were so terrific, it wasn't.&nbsp;</span></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ydSXYy-0dDg/Vtq3RnSC7DI/AAAAAAAADE8/wS_hgy96dTE/s1600/IMG_1399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ydSXYy-0dDg/Vtq3RnSC7DI/AAAAAAAADE8/wS_hgy96dTE/s400/IMG_1399.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lexi's first nap in the Sky Club.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QV8OxzsW-QY/Vtq3-gzB-xI/AAAAAAAADF0/4gMZkbwWHIg/s1600/IMG_1397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QV8OxzsW-QY/Vtq3-gzB-xI/AAAAAAAADF0/4gMZkbwWHIg/s400/IMG_1397.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bailey doing homework. She was intent on not falling too far behind.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U1IpPW8ECmU/Vtq3Rj4rIyI/AAAAAAAADFA/zYSaHr7ibVo/s1600/IMG_1396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-U1IpPW8ECmU/Vtq3Rj4rIyI/AAAAAAAADFA/zYSaHr7ibVo/s400/IMG_1396.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So thankful for my baby whisperers.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VmCUEdui9mo/Vtq3T6aLFMI/AAAAAAAADFg/-2PSj-iP0Ys/s1600/IMG_8515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VmCUEdui9mo/Vtq3T6aLFMI/AAAAAAAADFg/-2PSj-iP0Ys/s400/IMG_8515.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atlanta. So happy to see this on the flight screen.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table>Finally, 40 hours after we had arrived at the Guangzhou airport, we made it to Atlanta. And guess what we found waiting for us at the top of the escalator? A welcoming crew! These sweet and precious people had gotten up at 4:00am to come to the airport to meet us. We didn't expect anyone to be there and it was such a thoughtful surprise. We continue to be overwhelmed by the length that others go to love us well. Patrick and I are blessed with some amazing friends, but the really awesome part, is that so are our kids. They have parents who are teaching them how to do relationships well and our children reap the rewards of friends who are all in for the long haul. These folks have been praying for us and our baby girl and they will be the ones loving on her and walking with us in the years to come. After what we have experienced in the world of childhood cancer, we realize that life is short and precious. We are called to live and love big and doing life with these people is one of our greatest treasures.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Fm2BJjgWH4/Vtq3US1yEBI/AAAAAAAADFo/9sxYgc9MmbY/s1600/IMG_8519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Fm2BJjgWH4/Vtq3US1yEBI/AAAAAAAADFo/9sxYgc9MmbY/s640/IMG_8519.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We love our people. What a sweet surprise.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We are so thankful to be home, in our own beds, eating American food, and finding some sense of routine. Well, I'm sleeping next to Lexi's crib, so I haven't exactly been in my own bed yet, but it's close enough. We are having a tough time adjusting to the time change, but hopefully in another few days we will all be feeling better. Our trip was incredible and we felt the hand of God protecting us the entire time. We were safe and healthy for two full weeks in China and all five kids handled everything much better than we expected. We are so glad that we decided to take them with us. Now that we are home, it is wonderful that Lexi has six familiar faces in her new environment, instead of just two.<br /><br />Thank you for praying us through this journey. We continue to ask for prayer as we find our new normal as a family of seven and for Lexi, as she faces a long road to health ahead. As always, we are so thankful for this wonderful community that continues to walk with us through the valleys, mountaintops and everything in between.Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-43840539328960784182016-03-01T10:35:00.000-05:002016-03-01T10:44:37.502-05:00Last Day in Guangzhou...and China <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Y1ah3Nql9w/VtWk7Y77YSI/AAAAAAAADEE/EeupzVyvuF0/s1600/IMG_1374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Y1ah3Nql9w/VtWk7Y77YSI/AAAAAAAADEE/EeupzVyvuF0/s400/IMG_1374.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We just wrapped our last day in China. We had a relaxing time without anything on the itinerary. A late breakfast and walk through the park and koi pond at the hotel made for a peaceful morning. We spent the afternoon packing...which was so much less stressful than packing prior to the trip. This evening we had one last dinner with our travel group from Great Wall. What an amazing bunch of families and we will miss seeing them every day.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tomorrow morning we leave for the airport at the ridiculous time of 5:00am to head first to Shanghai, then to Detroit and finally home to Atlanta. We are all feeling a bit depressed about saying good-bye. This trip has been completely amazing and has exceeded our expectations on so many levels. The kids handled everything incredibly well...the time in airports, the appointments, the late nights...they were rockstars. We do miss some of the comforts of home, but our time here has been wonderful. The authentic answer is that going home scares me a little. We have essentially been on vacation for two weeks. Patrick has been here with me every day and there are no sports or activities or crazy busy-ness. At home, he will go back to work and I will be on my own. I was barely keeping this circus running before we left and I have no idea how to fit a baby who needs naps and early bedtimes into this life with big kids. And since we will be focussing on attachment, I will need to be responsible for meeting Lexi's needs, so leaving her with a sitter will not be an option for quite some time. While I'm sure we will sort it out, it causes a little anxiety. Finding any type of "new normal" usually hurts at least a little and I believe that's why I'm fearful. My prayer is that God will multiply time and resources and that He will fill in those gaps when I am not enough mother for these five little souls.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Lexi had another great day. &nbsp;Sweet baby girl is steadily improving. In the previous post I mentioned that we are seeing daily progress in many areas. She has been with us exactly one week today and the transformation is remarkable. She was on the floor playing with the kids this afternoon and was far more mobile than we have seen previously. She has been very quiet, but today we heard her laugh for the first time and she was also babbling. I suspect it will be a while before she makes the language transition, so we are working on some sign language to help ease her frustrations. In just a couple of days she has already learned to sign "more" and "all done." She continues to eat like a champ and she leaves us in awe of the food she can put away in a meal. Today she discovered ice cream and bubbles and I'm not sure who had more fun with that, Lexi...or us?!?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Children who have spent time in institutions or have gone through trauma come with mixed ages and developmental stages. While biologically they may be a certain age, if they haven't had someone loving them and meeting their needs through each milestone, their real or emotional age will not match. Most likely they will be in some combination of multiple ages and stages. For example, in many ways, Lexi is every bit an infant. She doesn't crawl yet and has trouble sitting up for long periods of time by herself. She is behind in her speech and also her fine motor skills. But she has a mouthful of teeth and can eat almost anything, she can drink from a sippy cup, she no longer puts toys in her mouth, she sleeps like a champ and her diaper changes are minimal...all typical traits of an almost two year old. Many times once in a family, kids will pass through the stages they have missed more quickly, but it is still important that they pass through them. You basically have to re-parent what they missed in order to help with healthy development in the long-term.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DchKDc8cmyY/VtWkGgSbdoI/AAAAAAAADD4/92fhn7Jlgkc/s1600/IMG_1360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DchKDc8cmyY/VtWkGgSbdoI/AAAAAAAADD4/92fhn7Jlgkc/s400/IMG_1360.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Koi pond and garden on hotel grounds.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vz7RA0VfTPY/VtWkEPTd7pI/AAAAAAAADD0/ozYhJLNxt9s/s1600/IMG_1362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vz7RA0VfTPY/VtWkEPTd7pI/AAAAAAAADD0/ozYhJLNxt9s/s400/IMG_1362.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YRVIJAnBneU/VtWkRlPIXrI/AAAAAAAADD8/XDhQi-PqyuM/s1600/IMG_1369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YRVIJAnBneU/VtWkRlPIXrI/AAAAAAAADD8/XDhQi-PqyuM/s400/IMG_1369.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b-ul7wP9Cdw/VtWlC1Bv8EI/AAAAAAAADEM/S6ia5hCO104/s1600/IMG_1370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b-ul7wP9Cdw/VtWlC1Bv8EI/AAAAAAAADEM/S6ia5hCO104/s400/IMG_1370.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M3-S87_7Fps/VtWlDNwuUmI/AAAAAAAADEQ/U3l5LnxpTCY/s1600/IMG_1375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M3-S87_7Fps/VtWlDNwuUmI/AAAAAAAADEQ/U3l5LnxpTCY/s400/IMG_1375.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BWlkV2Fs3CM/VtWl52exryI/AAAAAAAADEo/PaI_sK1Da60/s1600/IMG_1385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BWlkV2Fs3CM/VtWl52exryI/AAAAAAAADEo/PaI_sK1Da60/s400/IMG_1385.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Our hearts are feeling a bit heavy as we take Lexi from her birth country. There is such a long and amazing history in China and she is losing not only that, but everything she has known to this point. But there is no hope for her here. You rarely see disabilities or people who look different in China. There are both societal pressures and a lack of accessible healthcare that make life very difficult for those with challenges. In the condition we found her, she would have been lucky to have survived. So while we are sad that it must be this way, it also feels very much like we are rescuing a wounded soldier out of a war zone. Instead of having to fight to survive, she will grow up in a family and community where she will be able to thrive. Instead of feeling discarded and neglected, she will be loved and treasured every day of her life. But the changes are not one-sided. By pouring into her, she will transform the rest of our family as well. Adoption isn't just for the good of the orphan. It changes for the better the lives of everyone involved.<br /><br />We have a LONG travel day tomorrow and we covet your prayers for safety, patience and that we love each other well along the way.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hlvc3_8fQlw/VtWl5Ix4ZJI/AAAAAAAADEk/8QbQbTnO8eY/s1600/IMG_1392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hlvc3_8fQlw/VtWl5Ix4ZJI/AAAAAAAADEk/8QbQbTnO8eY/s400/IMG_1392.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner with some of the Great Wall kiddos.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HPLLmfEJxhc/VtWlZcHUHDI/AAAAAAAADEY/yWzI2oJeELg/s1600/IMG_1381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HPLLmfEJxhc/VtWlZcHUHDI/AAAAAAAADEY/yWzI2oJeELg/s400/IMG_1381.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good-bye Guangzhou</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-67347649682956410482016-02-29T19:59:00.001-05:002016-02-29T20:01:39.501-05:00U.S. Consulate and Shamian Island (Monday)We have had so many wonderful days here in China that, other than the day we got Alexis, it is difficult to choose my favorite. I thought I would feel so ready to come home after two weeks away, but we are not in a hurry to leave. Having the kids here has been wonderful and was absolutely the right decision for us. Instead of missing them and longing to be home, we have been able to enjoy every second of this trip and we have some incredibly special memories to cherish forever.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C6Ja6-JXP9E/VtTilKY_ZUI/AAAAAAAADCw/CZiH2Am92eI/s1600/IMG_8458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C6Ja6-JXP9E/VtTilKY_ZUI/AAAAAAAADCw/CZiH2Am92eI/s400/IMG_8458.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">U.S. Consulate</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Today we finished the last piece of adoption business here in China with a visit to the U.S. Consulate. Lexi now has her Visa and is ready to come home with us. There will be re-adoption paperwork upon returning home, so that we can get her a U.S. birth certificate and social security card, but we need to celebrate this victory for now. Patrick has always been in charge of our paperwork and he has done a fabulous job figuring out the impossible labyrinth that is a Hague adoption. Caleb and Lexi were his paper pregnancies and he is doing the happy dance to have finally delivered his babies. ;) &nbsp;For the record, he did everything perfectly without an error...so I am very thankful for him!<br /><br />We took an afternoon trip to Shamian Island. This is a beautiful, peaceful area that was once a British and French settlement in the mid to late 1800s during the Opium War. It looks nothing like the rest of China and it felt as though we were spending the day in Charleston, SC. We had a very American lunch at Lucy's on the island and Luke was thrilled to finally get his real hamburger.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JQxF1m2R4UY/VtTh_SzG1gI/AAAAAAAADCM/UntF-UTaj6Q/s1600/IMG_1346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JQxF1m2R4UY/VtTh_SzG1gI/AAAAAAAADCM/UntF-UTaj6Q/s400/IMG_1346.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch at Lucy's</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aSOGRCIT2wQ/VtTh-HlgiII/AAAAAAAADCI/Jenb99wfyiE/s1600/IMG_1339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aSOGRCIT2wQ/VtTh-HlgiII/AAAAAAAADCI/Jenb99wfyiE/s400/IMG_1339.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cjz2qbSn_s4/VtTh-M_JnNI/AAAAAAAADCE/4KpbJW_HZ90/s1600/IMG_1340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cjz2qbSn_s4/VtTh-M_JnNI/AAAAAAAADCE/4KpbJW_HZ90/s400/IMG_1340.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A happy boy with a hamburger.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z6bdKPeVtVI/VtTh7E3mBVI/AAAAAAAADCA/UzX9yClhlxA/s1600/IMG_1344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z6bdKPeVtVI/VtTh7E3mBVI/AAAAAAAADCA/UzX9yClhlxA/s400/IMG_1344.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lexi ate this grilled cheese, only after eating an entire burger patty.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1MyMOUsKV5E/VtTiZrbDqJI/AAAAAAAADCY/yjeVReKF5UY/s1600/IMG_1348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1MyMOUsKV5E/VtTiZrbDqJI/AAAAAAAADCY/yjeVReKF5UY/s400/IMG_1348.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shaman Island...so similar to Charleston.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d7MIfyVTWkQ/VtTiZWBRZFI/AAAAAAAADCQ/7DSKbOkhGF0/s1600/IMG_1350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d7MIfyVTWkQ/VtTiZWBRZFI/AAAAAAAADCQ/7DSKbOkhGF0/s400/IMG_1350.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ytGYaW_46G8/VtTiZ3S2iTI/AAAAAAAADCU/izsJsFfcqmM/s1600/IMG_1351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ytGYaW_46G8/VtTiZ3S2iTI/AAAAAAAADCU/izsJsFfcqmM/s400/IMG_1351.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WN5f6MhvTAw/VtTijYnWXmI/AAAAAAAADCg/SOExSPvwbiA/s1600/IMG_1352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WN5f6MhvTAw/VtTijYnWXmI/AAAAAAAADCg/SOExSPvwbiA/s400/IMG_1352.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are many Starbucks here in Guangzhou.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TR-DuGOMSkU/VtTijqmNbDI/AAAAAAAADCk/_JwQrGfkbGQ/s1600/IMG_1353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TR-DuGOMSkU/VtTijqmNbDI/AAAAAAAADCk/_JwQrGfkbGQ/s400/IMG_1353.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SEqRMm7ShT4/VtTikDVnT0I/AAAAAAAADCs/o7aNk6IuV7k/s1600/IMG_1354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SEqRMm7ShT4/VtTikDVnT0I/AAAAAAAADCs/o7aNk6IuV7k/s400/IMG_1354.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />We did some souvenir shopping on the island and thoroughly enjoyed the mid-70s temperature and sunshine. It was a delightful day. Tuesday is our last full day here and we don't have much on the calendar. We are hoping to relax and begin packing for the long trip home.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sOCBEbe-cTs/VtTikQ-IeHI/AAAAAAAADCo/H7HwKoc_1-E/s1600/IMG_8446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sOCBEbe-cTs/VtTikQ-IeHI/AAAAAAAADCo/H7HwKoc_1-E/s400/IMG_8446.jpg" width="383" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-48592626349308052892016-02-28T22:45:00.000-05:002016-02-29T19:01:15.316-05:00Chen Temple and Shopping (Sunday in Guangzhou) <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9cXVH_CJV3o/VtK2fA2dggI/AAAAAAAAC_c/fKyehY8Vfl0/s1600/IMG_1306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9cXVH_CJV3o/VtK2fA2dggI/AAAAAAAAC_c/fKyehY8Vfl0/s400/IMG_1306.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chan Temple</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">It is Sunday in Guangzhou. This morning we toured the Chen Temple. It is a beautiful building that was built for the worship of family ancestors (which is a significant thing in China). I am continually amazed by the architecture. These building are hundreds of years old, and yet the detail is so beautiful and ornate. It seems impossible. We have had amazing opportunities to learn about the culture here and even now with a little one in tow, it still feels very much like a vacation.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QChHQXxAPOE/VtK2jk-3IjI/AAAAAAAAC_o/mKqnO0A2SEk/s1600/IMG_1327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QChHQXxAPOE/VtK2jk-3IjI/AAAAAAAAC_o/mKqnO0A2SEk/s400/IMG_1327.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXVYSEqwoa4/VtK25itEIaI/AAAAAAAAC_w/7wmEHv3HhlA/s1600/IMG_1334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZXVYSEqwoa4/VtK25itEIaI/AAAAAAAAC_w/7wmEHv3HhlA/s400/IMG_1334.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caleb's new Chinese BFF, Noah</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bhZzYFWfK3w/VtK2fVqhfhI/AAAAAAAAC_g/ybCmz0ZCfOI/s1600/IMG_1324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bhZzYFWfK3w/VtK2fVqhfhI/AAAAAAAAC_g/ybCmz0ZCfOI/s400/IMG_1324.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lexi is doing wonderfully. She is so tiny and delayed, but we are all incredibly smitten with this beautiful princess. She came to us weak and listless. She could hardly sit up. She was so lifeless that she wasn’t able to raise her arms and could barely muster a cry. Our main goal has been to keep her belly full and at this point, she is eating like a grown man. There is no off button and she will eat as long as you’ll keep feeding her and she never get sicks. She was starving. Each day she comes alive a bit more…more smiles, more movement, and more joy. Initially, she couldn’t even lift her arms to feed herself, but last night at dinner she polished off a whole plate of snacks on her own. The other thing we noticed is that the first few nights she stayed completely still in her crib and would wake up in the same position in which she fell asleep. Now, she is all over the place and wakes up completely sideways and shoved to the top of the crib…which is much more typical for a child this age. During play time on the floor last night she was so much more active and mobile than we had seen yet. Every day there is a little bit more life and it leaves us feeling hopeful. Of course, she has a very long way to go, but the speedy and noticeable progress, after less than a week, is encouraging.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We had dinner tonight at an Irish Pub because well, we simply cannot do any more Chinese food. Then it was off to bed because we have an early appointment at the U.S. Consulate on Monday morning.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Almost done!&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TrbUkIezysk/VtK258dvJoI/AAAAAAAAC_0/-VySu_YtAM4/s1600/IMG_1337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TrbUkIezysk/VtK258dvJoI/AAAAAAAAC_0/-VySu_YtAM4/s400/IMG_1337.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NyZChe7S-B0/VtK22honK3I/AAAAAAAAC_s/hS9G708AvKQ/s1600/IMG_8413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NyZChe7S-B0/VtK22honK3I/AAAAAAAAC_s/hS9G708AvKQ/s400/IMG_8413.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today I had my first Starbucks of the trip.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Q6DgISXexM/VtK26Xpe6LI/AAAAAAAAC_4/qYxgsaqxflo/s1600/IMG_8415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Q6DgISXexM/VtK26Xpe6LI/AAAAAAAAC_4/qYxgsaqxflo/s400/IMG_8415.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally, we are getting some smiles.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-22384270854815421312016-02-28T03:53:00.002-05:002016-02-28T04:36:27.776-05:00Guangzhou (Friday and Saturday)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: justify;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-26z7P8n1Y5A/VtKw1feHx_I/AAAAAAAAC-c/KRVEJ_rSv6A/s1600/IMG_8397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-26z7P8n1Y5A/VtKw1feHx_I/AAAAAAAAC-c/KRVEJ_rSv6A/s400/IMG_8397.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LOVE!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: left;">We made it to Guangzhou very late on Friday evening. It was about 1:00am until we got from the airport to the hotel and settled into bed. Once gain, the kids were amazing. They have been patient and flexible and a joy with which to travel (seriously for real…no exaggeration). We have been incredibly busy since arriving here and our access to the Internet quite spotty, so I haven’t been able to post much. Guangzhou is a city of about 12 million people and the heart of it has the essence of Las Vegas. The landscape is very different than what we found in previous Chinese cities and since it is in the south, it is much warmer and significantly more green. We are very glad to shed the layers and jackets and enjoy temperatures in the mid-60s. It is more international and diverse. Another&nbsp;</span><span style="text-align: left;">noticeable difference is that&nbsp;</span><span style="text-align: left;">they don’t allow scooters on the road, so the traffic seems much less chaotic than in other areas of the country.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5y2OOvxChk/VtKw4HgOvOI/AAAAAAAAC-g/bYzT2rckwJA/s1600/IMG_1284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5y2OOvxChk/VtKw4HgOvOI/AAAAAAAAC-g/bYzT2rckwJA/s400/IMG_1284.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saying good-bye to our Taiyuan guide, Shelly</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: inherit;">Lexi had an early medical appointment on Saturday morning. While we would love to say this was thorough and we ran our many questions by the doctor, that really wasn’t the purpose. She was merely getting cleared for immigration so that she can come back to the states. They checked height, weight, hearing and the basics and sent us on our way. She did not love the experience. No one seemed at all concerned that she weighed 6.9 kg. We already have a great team lined up for her in the U.S., and once we get home we will begin the long process of getting her healthy.&nbsp;</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GBXeGi0KLMc/VtKw0C0AC6I/AAAAAAAAC-Y/3rjHEht80KU/s1600/IMG_1287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GBXeGi0KLMc/VtKw0C0AC6I/AAAAAAAAC-Y/3rjHEht80KU/s400/IMG_1287.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T4PnoAHl-v4/VtKxR1Be5UI/AAAAAAAAC-s/sg_4DFYyOJ8/s1600/IMG_1288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T4PnoAHl-v4/VtKxR1Be5UI/AAAAAAAAC-s/sg_4DFYyOJ8/s400/IMG_1288.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JHi6029dnmg/VtKzLZ06ZPI/AAAAAAAAC_Q/_gjBijnm-C4/s1600/IMG_1293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JHi6029dnmg/VtKzLZ06ZPI/AAAAAAAAC_Q/_gjBijnm-C4/s400/IMG_1293.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the medical exam, we made a quick trip to Wal-Mart to pick up a few items that we were missing. They have many of the same things as American Wal-Mart, but it isn't nearly as large.&nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ufYS1PzmuCw/VtKxcB0BMJI/AAAAAAAAC-0/rBqkCCZfdyQ/s1600/IMG_1295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ufYS1PzmuCw/VtKxcB0BMJI/AAAAAAAAC-0/rBqkCCZfdyQ/s400/IMG_1295.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wdnAkhianEM/VtKxcgtdNlI/AAAAAAAAC-4/BQCSBDXQtbc/s1600/IMG_1296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wdnAkhianEM/VtKxcgtdNlI/AAAAAAAAC-4/BQCSBDXQtbc/s400/IMG_1296.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This step-less escalator reminded me of IKEA.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">We were all exhausted after out late travel night, so Saturday afternoon consisted of long naps for everyone. That evening we reunited with our Great Wall group for dinner. It is so special to see all of these families now with their kiddos. What a wonderful bunch and it has been fun to get to know everyone.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lkAiF_UKw48/VtKxfYV7qNI/AAAAAAAAC_A/MyQj6vq2ofQ/s1600/IMG_1298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lkAiF_UKw48/VtKxfYV7qNI/AAAAAAAAC_A/MyQj6vq2ofQ/s400/IMG_1298.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-24482281106884783582016-02-25T01:10:00.000-05:002016-02-26T02:06:04.649-05:00Finishing Up in Taiyuan (Thursday)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9OabLS0LHYc/Vs_o_lsDOJI/AAAAAAAAC9Q/afXqBInNWWA/s1600/IMG_8380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9OabLS0LHYc/Vs_o_lsDOJI/AAAAAAAAC9Q/afXqBInNWWA/s400/IMG_8380.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Thursday was our last full day in Taiyuan. We thoroughly enjoyed the day because the pace was slower and there was a little down time. The morning was spent at the Shanxi Provincial Museum and was completely enjoyable as we learned&nbsp;all about this area. Shanxi is the oldest part of China and the heart of its&nbsp;</span>origin, so there was much history to discover in this beautiful building.&nbsp;</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YmsxUfmfsRg/Vs_pceCt-KI/AAAAAAAAC9Y/Eky0dpIKXDs/s1600/IMG_8388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YmsxUfmfsRg/Vs_pceCt-KI/AAAAAAAAC9Y/Eky0dpIKXDs/s400/IMG_8388.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shanxi Provincial Museum</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pAR611H-gCI/Vs_pfGc6QpI/AAAAAAAAC9c/65mXJHgUSJY/s1600/IMG_8389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pAR611H-gCI/Vs_pfGc6QpI/AAAAAAAAC9c/65mXJHgUSJY/s400/IMG_8389.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eXxroRJCMVw/Vs_qkbCWvdI/AAAAAAAAC9w/zdsFZBXGTqY/s1600/IMG_1226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eXxroRJCMVw/Vs_qkbCWvdI/AAAAAAAAC9w/zdsFZBXGTqY/s400/IMG_1226.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-En6qfR5I1GA/Vs_pAHptryI/AAAAAAAAC9U/LVBtYv0AIpc/s1600/IMG_1231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-En6qfR5I1GA/Vs_pAHptryI/AAAAAAAAC9U/LVBtYv0AIpc/s400/IMG_1231.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />We spent the afternoon relaxing at the hotel, since we now have a little one who needs a nap. Lexi is doing well, but it is easy to see that she is trying to process all that is happening. The first 24 hours or so, she was completely shut down and the smiles were non-existent. She seems a bit more relaxed each day, although very cautious and fearful. This sweet baby doesn't even understand what we are saying, so I'm sure she is still completely terrified. She was incredibly hungry and is eating like a champ. We put her on the scale this morning and it read just 13 lbs, which means she was lighter than that&nbsp;upon coming to us. By the way she eats it is obvious that she was starving. The precious girl will even save a little piece of food in her hand for hours after a meal, and if you take it away she gets so upset and the tears flow. Her little cry is so weak and pitiful that it makes your heart hurt. The kids have been great playing with her and keeping her amused. They are as smitten as we are. Because we are beginning the attachment process, Patrick and I are doing all of the feeding, changing, dressing, bathing, carrying and parenting duties. It is an important step in helping Lexi both bond with us and learn that the relationship with mom and dad is far more special than what she has had with any caretaker previously. She is sleeping well, although we know this may change upon arriving home. Nighttime waking can be a good indication that the child does expect you to come when they cry and is not completely shut down emotionally, so it wouldn't be a bad thing if she eventually has some evening sleep&nbsp;disturbances. We are certainly enjoying the rest for now though. It has been a long time since I've done middle-of-the-night baby stuff and I'm not sure that I will be able to recover this time around. Lexi was also able to meet her grandparents via FaceTime, so that had been fun as well.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CVx1845hcBc/Vs_pfDKk9XI/AAAAAAAAC9g/RCV5VwM7-NU/s1600/IMG_8392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CVx1845hcBc/Vs_pfDKk9XI/AAAAAAAAC9g/RCV5VwM7-NU/s400/IMG_8392.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Emmy in the lobby of the Shanxi Grand Hotel<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPMeQiskt6Y/Vs_o_PbkmQI/AAAAAAAAC9M/TcNxBqGZjl0/s1600/IMG_1206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPMeQiskt6Y/Vs_o_PbkmQI/AAAAAAAAC9M/TcNxBqGZjl0/s400/IMG_1206.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption">Lexi meeting mimi, papa, nana and papa bear.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-unB2Figz13s/Vs_rldjOkDI/AAAAAAAAC-A/ZA9YtVj0HvQ/s1600/IMG_0942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-unB2Figz13s/Vs_rldjOkDI/AAAAAAAAC-A/ZA9YtVj0HvQ/s400/IMG_0942.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She sleeps well at night, but puts up more of a fight for naps.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Since all of our paperwork is completed on the Chinese side of things, we are finished with our time here in the Shanxi Province. &nbsp;However, we have to stay until late Friday when Lexi's passport will be ready. Then it's back to the airport for the flight to Guangzhou and the final leg of this journey. We will be there for four days where I believe the bulk of the duties fall on the U.S. immigration side of things. The weather should be warmer and we will have some slower days, and that will be appreciated as well. A friend said that Guangzhou is like the Epcot China...so Luke may be able to get his hamburger after all. We will be traveling late into Friday evening and we would appreciate your prayers for a safe flight and a happy group of five kiddos.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--Di-xIQ74FU/Vs_rOU66wkI/AAAAAAAAC94/KpWg0tBp8ao/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="337" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--Di-xIQ74FU/Vs_rOU66wkI/AAAAAAAAC94/KpWg0tBp8ao/s400/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After a day of no smiles, I got this.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-17779041746445028452016-02-24T08:41:00.000-05:002016-02-25T08:48:11.878-05:00<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: yellow; font-size: x-large;">Happy Birthday Kylie.&nbsp;</span></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>In honor of her birthday, please take a few moments to watch this video...</i></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/A5fKD02bFtc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A5fKD02bFtc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-21438697036418705472016-02-24T02:47:00.000-05:002016-02-26T01:50:40.505-05:00A Day in Datong (Wednesday)You know those times when you grumble and complain, dreading something so much...and then you do the thing you were anticipating the worst about and God completely blows your socks off? And afterwards you are left feeling just like those crabby Israelites in Biblical times, always dissatisfied and unable to trust God for manna for the day even though he continually exceeds your expectations?<br /><br />That was me and the kids yesterday.<br /><br />Our first night with Lexi, Tuesday evening, was tough. She slept beautifully, but we were emotionally exhausted from the day and so worried about the long haul we are facing with her, that neither of us slept well. She is so very tiny and sick. We are completely smitten, but we also feel the heaviness of what it will take to get her healthy. On the schedule for Wednesday was a trip to Datong, her birth city. To have a whole day planned there would have been one thing, because of course we would love to see and photograph her birth town and get to know what it was like. But we were told we would drive the four hours there, drop off our paperwork at the police station and immediately drive the four hours back to Taiyuan. So that meant 8 hours in a smokey-smelling van with five kids. Patrick had a better attitude about the whole thing, but the kids and I were not at all looking forward to it. Fortunately, His mercies are new every morning.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mPlo76P_sos/Vs6gKkm0rGI/AAAAAAAAC8A/nke0xCp2q50/s1600/IMG_1105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mPlo76P_sos/Vs6gKkm0rGI/AAAAAAAAC8A/nke0xCp2q50/s400/IMG_1105.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZIIi3ifokWc/Vs6gKYOCODI/AAAAAAAAC74/c1ZehSIZpLM/s1600/IMG_1106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZIIi3ifokWc/Vs6gKYOCODI/AAAAAAAAC74/c1ZehSIZpLM/s400/IMG_1106.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qn65YKq1feU/Vs6gNOP0TxI/AAAAAAAAC8E/wqO5O_OiGqw/s1600/IMG_1118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qn65YKq1feU/Vs6gNOP0TxI/AAAAAAAAC8E/wqO5O_OiGqw/s400/IMG_1118.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even Lexi had to sign some paperwork.&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Before heading to Datong, we began Wednesday back at the Shanxi Office of Civil Affairs where we had met Lexi the day prior. While there, we signed the remaining paperwork making her officially ours. Earlier, Patrick had asked if we could see the orphanage in Datong, but it seemed like a long shot. Orphanage visits are hit or miss and China only has a few that they show to the public. Surprisingly though, they agreed to give us a tour! When we hopped in the van Wednesday morning to head to Datong, sour attitudes and all, we had no idea that the day would turn out to be one of our favorite yet.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F9Fkvu2FT28/Vs6hNietSAI/AAAAAAAAC8Q/Uq9GDK3Ocd0/s1600/IMG_1126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F9Fkvu2FT28/Vs6hNietSAI/AAAAAAAAC8Q/Uq9GDK3Ocd0/s400/IMG_1126.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's official. Lexi is ours! (And Bailey is wearing her yellow for Kylie's birthday.)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We drove the four hours to Datong and the ride was actually quite nice. The drive allowed us to see miles of Chinese countryside...old villages, temples, and the majestic snow-dusted mountains that line much of the area around here. The kids even enjoyed it and the time passed quickly. When we arrived in Datong we found it to be surprisingly new and urban. It was a neat city and the only negative we could see was the pollution. It is a coal mining town and there is smokestack after smokestack spewing pollution into the air...everywhere. Lexi seems to have some lung issues and this could very well be why. We decided on a lunch stop first and we went to an Italian restaurant that had pizza just like home. &nbsp;It was a much needed lift in spirits. While we are generally trying to eat and enjoy the Chinese food, there are only so many rice noodles and steamed cabbage one can stomach before some serious cravings set it. I'm paying for the pizza meal with a gluten hangover today, but it was totally worth it. There is a television show called Dual Survivor that you may have seen. On that show, they mention that if you don't have water you can survive 72-hours. So when the guys who are attempting survival find water they describe it as resetting their 72-hour clock. Patrick said that was what our pizza was to us yesterday. It was like water in the dessert and now we can make it through the steamed veggies and rice for another three days. Our 72-hour clocks have been reset. Of course poor Luke can't eat pizza, so he is still desperately craving a hamburger. He may start hallucinating soon.<br /><br />After lunch we headed to the Datong Social Welfare Institute. This is the orphanage where Lexi lived. The hope was that at minimum maybe we could get a few pictures for her life book, but instead we received a guided tour from the orphanage director! The way it typically works at this particular orphanage is that there are foster moms who live in apartments on the campus. The very young kids go to school at the orphanage during the day and stay with the foster moms at night. Each mom has four to five children. The older kids stay with families across the city and attend regular school. Because Lexi's condition is so poor and she looks so malnourished, we were feeling some contempt for the orphanage going into our visit. However, we found the place to be clean, bright, organized and seemingly well run. Our suspicion is that she was simply one of the weaker kids and couldn't keep up. She eats slowly and so in a situation where you need someone to pay extra attention to be sure you are getting enough, a foster mom with five small kids would be unable to do that. It simply becomes survival of the fittest and a battle she was losing. Our visit to the orphanage was incredibly informative in regards to her specific story as well. We were able to take photos both of where she was found as well as with her foster mom. (We will hold those pictures privately for her and she may decide when she is older whether or not she wants to share them.) &nbsp;When you are grasping to find the missing pieces to have for your child as a they grow, this kind of information is treasured. The orphanage also showed us her file dating back from the time she arrived and we learned that she was very likely a premie as well, which also explains so much (including the possible lung issues). As amazing as the orphanage visit was, it was also as painful. Our sweet girl was visibly upset at the sight of both her foster mom and school friends and one of the other kids started crying when he saw her. Caleb has suddenly burst into tears several times during this trip and one was yesterday, when he realized that as the kids find families and exit the orphanage, they have to leave all of their friends behind. This was very upsetting to him and it has been interesting to watch him, in his six-year old heart, work through some of the pain of his own story. We all left the orphanage feeling incredibly grateful and with some aching hearts. It affected our kids a great deal as they began to realize what life is truly like for an orphan. They were visibly moved and it is an impression and understanding that we hope will stick with them forever.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UCh5ruLqycA/Vs6hQ1cusEI/AAAAAAAAC8Y/cNbgBom_qVU/s1600/IMG_1151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UCh5ruLqycA/Vs6hQ1cusEI/AAAAAAAAC8Y/cNbgBom_qVU/s400/IMG_1151.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Datong Social Welfare Institute</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nW7gWZjzS3A/Vs6hP1hcUPI/AAAAAAAAC8U/TSkvzl39n6o/s1600/IMG_1160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nW7gWZjzS3A/Vs6hP1hcUPI/AAAAAAAAC8U/TSkvzl39n6o/s400/IMG_1160.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_T7YVlcngOg/Vs6hU0sdOBI/AAAAAAAAC8c/RbFhBt9VHjw/s1600/IMG_1175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_T7YVlcngOg/Vs6hU0sdOBI/AAAAAAAAC8c/RbFhBt9VHjw/s400/IMG_1175.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wdBoob7D0s8/Vs6hW2RtWvI/AAAAAAAAC8g/pV0p43e5Dmg/s1600/IMG_1180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wdBoob7D0s8/Vs6hW2RtWvI/AAAAAAAAC8g/pV0p43e5Dmg/s400/IMG_1180.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EQUiSv1uW0c/Vs6hX2OsR1I/AAAAAAAAC8k/eMHCh3YqmNw/s1600/IMG_1181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EQUiSv1uW0c/Vs6hX2OsR1I/AAAAAAAAC8k/eMHCh3YqmNw/s400/IMG_1181.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Following the visit to the Datong SWI, we dropped of our completed paperwork at the police station and then began the long ride home. We were dreading the day and instead of it turning out terribly, it was actually an incredible blessing. It had a sacred feeling to it. There was not one single complaint from the kids and we had the sense that God had just done something really special for us. When we finally got back to the hotel room it was late and we were exhausted...but so thankful to have gained some wonderful pieces to Lexi's story. Pieces that we will ALL be able to share with her as she gets older and wants to know more.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bbQ48PvXnDM/Vs7Csk0WSEI/AAAAAAAAC88/31NkhRldg78/s1600/IMG_1200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bbQ48PvXnDM/Vs7Csk0WSEI/AAAAAAAAC88/31NkhRldg78/s400/IMG_1200.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Datong Police Department&nbsp;</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-50453809533428944232016-02-23T08:29:00.000-05:002016-02-25T09:18:03.611-05:00Gotcha Day <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After 10 long years, a precious Chinese daughter is finally in our arms. It has been a busy and emotional day. We met Lexi around 2:30pm, and as most gotcha days go, it unfolded quickly and with little fanfare. The government official was late arriving and so the room where everyone was told to meet was locked. We had gotten there several minutes early and all of a sudden Lexi and her nannies were coming down the dark hallway toward us. They instantly stuck her in my arms. It was all a bit unplanned and the lighting wasn't stellar, so our first pictures are the best we could do given the circumstances. She is beautiful and as expected, completely terrified. We don't look, speak or smell like anyone she has ever even seen and they just handed her over to us. I can only imagine how scary it was for her.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MpIEBOU1Qwc/Vswxod5otFI/AAAAAAAAC7E/ZXQgCZIXZVU/s1600/IMG_0983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MpIEBOU1Qwc/Vswxod5otFI/AAAAAAAAC7E/ZXQgCZIXZVU/s400/IMG_0983.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yJmH-s_n_Tg/VswxokcMmVI/AAAAAAAAC7I/ao3KmeN_O8w/s1600/IMG_0997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yJmH-s_n_Tg/VswxokcMmVI/AAAAAAAAC7I/ao3KmeN_O8w/s400/IMG_0997.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Patrick and I spoke last night about our feelings going into today. When we adopted Caleb the situation was different in a number of ways. We had never adopted before and we also knew that he was relatively healthy with no major physical issues. With Lexi, our expectations had already been tempered by one adoption and we also knew that she had some significant special needs, and so there would be much work ahead once we arrived home. &nbsp;I feel as though we went into today with a cautiousness and understanding that was much more realistic than the first time around. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VdPCDJavwzU/VswxnetQImI/AAAAAAAAC7A/1Wxzuiy2Qe8/s1600/IMG_1035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VdPCDJavwzU/VswxnetQImI/AAAAAAAAC7A/1Wxzuiy2Qe8/s400/IMG_1035.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Q8qkL6ND9A/VswyLqCgUrI/AAAAAAAAC7Q/p1GH5H5Iurw/s1600/IMG_1046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Q8qkL6ND9A/VswyLqCgUrI/AAAAAAAAC7Q/p1GH5H5Iurw/s400/IMG_1046.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-imygWjHKxUQ/VswyMpiK_5I/AAAAAAAAC7U/VE__nTPzLK8/s1600/IMG_1063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-imygWjHKxUQ/VswyMpiK_5I/AAAAAAAAC7U/VE__nTPzLK8/s400/IMG_1063.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-00yVW3GgLVI/VswyRcFgrjI/AAAAAAAAC7c/LagytzIHkOw/s1600/IMG_1070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-00yVW3GgLVI/VswyRcFgrjI/AAAAAAAAC7c/LagytzIHkOw/s400/IMG_1070.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I haven't spoken much of Lexi's special needs, because we do not want her defined by them. But as information for those who will be walking alongside us in the years to come, there are several issues. To begin and probably the most noticeable is that she has bilateral club feet (that means both feet). We knew this going in. What we discovered today is that her ankle bones look pretty bad, so the road ahead may be even more challenging. She also has an extra thumb, which we knew about as well. &nbsp;Upon inspection is appears insignificant and I don't think removal will be incredibly challenging. We also knew she was tiny and behind developmentally. &nbsp;Our hope is that it is caused by a combination of the physical disabilities, poor nutrition, lack of proper medical care and not having a family. Only time will tell for sure whether this is the case. Children in orphanages typically lose one linear month of growth for every three months they are in an orphanage. That would mean Lexi should be about at the development of a 14-month old. However, she also has a physical disability which can delay milestones even further. Based on our time with her today though, she is much more like a 9-month old in many ways. What was a surprise to us is that she is incredibly underweight and malnourished. Lengthwise, I believe she is close to what a very small 21-month old would be, but I suspect she weighs 13 lbs at the most. When we removed her clothes for a bath tonight, we both gasped. She was so tiny that I feel as though we got here at the last possible second. It was heart-breaking to see her bones protruding everywhere...we had no idea how underweight she truly was.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">By the end of the night, I was able to get some smiles and she gobbled up a good bit of food. Our main goal in the next few weeks will be to increase her calories in an effort to stimulate significant weight gain. Until she is bigger and stronger, I don't think we will have much success tackling the other issues.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gBuYcrJB7SY/VswzL9t0FuI/AAAAAAAAC7o/uOzbXF_sLFA/s1600/IMG_1053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gBuYcrJB7SY/VswzL9t0FuI/AAAAAAAAC7o/uOzbXF_sLFA/s400/IMG_1053.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Overall, it was a special day. Lexi is gorgeous with porcelain skin and a heart-shaped mouth. She is incredibly alert and you can see she is trying to process all that is going on. This is a traumatic event for her and it is going to take her some time to feel safe and comfortable with us. The kids are overjoyed and they have been very sweet. Caleb is especially excited and proud to be a new big brother, so if you see him you may want to congratulate him. While some want to be the baby forever...he was desperate not to be. We are smitten with this princess and we know that she needs us. We also understand that there is a very long road ahead. If you feel led, please pray for her full and complete healing and that Patrick and I are prepared for the challenge.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tomorrow we will be driving four hours to Datong to turn in some additional paperwork. It is going to be an excruciatingly long travel day, especially for the kids. We would love you to cover us for that as well...safe travel, patience, and stamina for the day for all of us.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Gotcha Day Alexis!&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-388590060147390052016-02-22T04:39:00.002-05:002016-02-22T05:05:49.583-05:00Taiyuan - Lantern Festival (Monday)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X48aaTuXYjo/VsrICg-x3uI/AAAAAAAAC6Y/0dnb9hoi7m0/s1600/IMG_0963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X48aaTuXYjo/VsrICg-x3uI/AAAAAAAAC6Y/0dnb9hoi7m0/s400/IMG_0963.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />We were thankful for a low-key day that included no airplanes or appointments. Our bodies are continuing to adjust to the time change, and even with a long nap and later bedtime yesterday, we still seem to be waking up around 4:00am. By 5:30am it felt like we had been up for hours and the kids were asking when breakfast would open. All of the hotels have a rather large breakfast buffet and it is turning into the meal at which we eat the most. The buffets are sizable with a wide variety of options, so we can all usually find something - which is not always the case for lunch and dinner. We had a slow morning and after breakfast the kids spent some time doing homework. Their teachers sent a good bit of work with them, but Bailey also has friends scanning notes and e-mailing assignments to her on a daily basis. It is difficult to miss two weeks of eighth grade and she is working very hard to stay caught up (she also would like to give a shout out to Jaden, Avery, Daniella, Paige and Landon for doing that for her - thank you!).<br /><br />We spent the afternoon at the Lantern Festival here in town. The Lantern Festival was initially known as "Chinese Valentine's Day," but now marks the close of Chinese New Year. There was an entire street blocked off, red lanterns, vendors and people everywhere. The atmosphere was festive and we were obviously in the midst of a cultural celebration. We did a little shopping, ate traditional Chinese food and soaked it all in. It was so much fun.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wInXg82EkBQ/VsrItES6dFI/AAAAAAAAC6o/WHSiiyBxiCQ/s1600/IMG_0969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wInXg82EkBQ/VsrItES6dFI/AAAAAAAAC6o/WHSiiyBxiCQ/s400/IMG_0969.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Emma was correct when she hinted that the kids would likely get even more attention in the smaller towns that see fewer Americans. We felt like a less good-looking, less wealthy and no nannies version of Brangelina today, based on the crowd that seemed to find us wherever we went. If we stopped to take a family picture, there was always a group watching us and taking their own photos. No one has any ill-intent and they are all very sweet, but it can be a little unnerving. Emmy is our most introverted child and the poor thing also seems to be the one getting the most attention. Someone walked up and pinched her cheeks this afternoon, so I believe her when she said, "I am tired of being a celebrity."<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L7d0jATZpD0/VsrIt13GlyI/AAAAAAAAC6s/SEMi_t4WM8s/s1600/IMG_0967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L7d0jATZpD0/VsrIt13GlyI/AAAAAAAAC6s/SEMi_t4WM8s/s400/IMG_0967.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zk8GG6szjBU/VsrIsu0g6dI/AAAAAAAAC6k/BOuPONaQmzg/s1600/IMG_0970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zk8GG6szjBU/VsrIsu0g6dI/AAAAAAAAC6k/BOuPONaQmzg/s400/IMG_0970.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>We were thankful to be able to enjoy the festivities at the Lantern Festival. It is just one additional memory that we can share with Lexi. The more pieces of her history and culture we understand, the better we will be able to relay it to her. &nbsp;Today's atmosphere felt a little like we were at Epcot or Hollywood Studios walking through a China-themed village or movie set, so to grasp that we were really experiencing China was amazing. What a special gift.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8l9I6tOlvkM/VsrINAX3GrI/AAAAAAAAC6c/umu-1Yzje5s/s1600/IMG_0964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8l9I6tOlvkM/VsrINAX3GrI/AAAAAAAAC6c/umu-1Yzje5s/s400/IMG_0964.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tomorrow is Gotcha Day. I actually don't love that term and I'm not exactly sure why, but it just doesn't sit well with me. Eventually we will celebrate it as Lexi's adoption day, just like we do for Caleb. Regardless of what we call it, tomorrow is the day we get to scoop up our baby girl for good. It is difficult to believe that we began this process ten years ago. There were so many times when we thought the door had been closed and we were ready to give up, but here we sit in a hotel room in China. We have a suitcase full of baby clothes and a crib empty and waiting. It is sacred and scary and unpredictable and completely amazing. I'm not sure why God waited to bring her to us in our 40s rather than our 30s, but we are trusting His timing. We know He will make it beautiful.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tomorrow we will meet our daughter and the kids will meet their baby sister. We covet your prayers&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">for the enormity of this transition for everyone.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-51592892361531804632016-02-21T17:02:00.002-05:002016-02-21T17:24:12.289-05:00Travel day to Taiyuan (Shangxi Province) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We have been wondering when this trip would start to feel a little less comfortable and a little more adventurous. Beijing was just too easy. The city is huge and incredibly modern. We had a very nice hotel and many of the comforts of home. Additionally, Emma came everywhere with our group, so she could navigate the culture, translate, tell us where to eat and be sure that all things were flowing smoothly. Sadly though, yesterday we had to leave Beijing and Emma to fly to Taiyuan in the Shangxi Province. So we headed back to the airport to catch another flight, this time on the in-country airline China Eastern.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mCnNlp97CO0/Vsm9Cn73AtI/AAAAAAAAC5g/fXcX4PWmAAc/s1600/IMG_0945.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mCnNlp97CO0/Vsm9Cn73AtI/AAAAAAAAC5g/fXcX4PWmAAc/s400/IMG_0945.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GPQCe1rIOlk/Vsm9BxfdXtI/AAAAAAAAC5c/vg6uCp_7bIY/s1600/IMG_0947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GPQCe1rIOlk/Vsm9BxfdXtI/AAAAAAAAC5c/vg6uCp_7bIY/s400/IMG_0947.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2b-VTG_Dpz8/Vsm8_p3H68I/AAAAAAAAC5Y/Pk59pR0diHU/s1600/IMG_0949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2b-VTG_Dpz8/Vsm8_p3H68I/AAAAAAAAC5Y/Pk59pR0diHU/s400/IMG_0949.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E4TmVSnjNTg/Vsm9np0t6qI/AAAAAAAAC5o/Ykfu0quwbJQ/s1600/IMG_0951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E4TmVSnjNTg/Vsm9np0t6qI/AAAAAAAAC5o/Ykfu0quwbJQ/s400/IMG_0951.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Tauiyan is proving to be a bit different then Beijing. It is the capital city of this province and still fairly large at three million people. It also isn't too far from Beijing, so the weather remains very cold. It has a more industrial feel, and the buildings and apartments look a tad more weary and run-down. The smog was bad as we arrived yesterday as well, so that added to the overwhelmingly gray and less cheery ambiance. Our hotel is still very nice, but definitely more Chinese feeling and less westernized. While Emma worked for Great Wall, our new guide is more of a travel agent who acts like a subcontractor and she has been a bit underwhelming. She is incredibly nice, but not nearly as helpful or knowledgeable. There is very little English here and we were quite entertaining as we tried to explain our food needs at dinner last night. So much food in China is cooked in peanut oil (which makes one ask why they have no peanut allergies - hmmmm?) that many times Luke and Emmy end up with just steamed rice and then they have snacks in our room. &nbsp;Many of the lights aren't on in this hotel, while others are on motion detectors, so it generally feels dark. There are a few other quirky things as well such as the full-sized mirrors in the shower (no thank you) and the window in our bathroom that looks out into our bedroom and is covered only by a sheer curtain (no thank you again). &nbsp;While this is still nowhere close to our experiences in Africa, this trip has definitely taken on the more adventurous tone one expects when traveling overseas. We will be here about four more days and then we are headed to Guangzhou, which we have heard is amazing...and much warmer.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-06seuf76V2E/Vsm-sQrID3I/AAAAAAAAC6E/SlIHVGas7FQ/s1600/IMG_0959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-06seuf76V2E/Vsm-sQrID3I/AAAAAAAAC6E/SlIHVGas7FQ/s400/IMG_0959.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C7a3wz0OASg/Vsm9n22amMI/AAAAAAAAC5s/VutDnra7yJU/s1600/IMG_0953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C7a3wz0OASg/Vsm9n22amMI/AAAAAAAAC5s/VutDnra7yJU/s400/IMG_0953.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Patrick and I have both commented that to this point it doesn't feel as though we are here to meet our child. I'm not sure why this is or what exactly it is supposed to "feel" like, but I think some of this disconnect is because our experience in Ethiopia was completely different. With Caleb, we arrived in Addis Ababa around midnight one evening and the next morning at 8:00am we boarded the van to travel only minutes away to get him. We were bleary eyed and exhausted (my luggage was missing and I was still in my travel clothes), we picked him up and he was with us for the remainder of our trip. In Ethiopia, we were not allowed to travel to different areas and we were discouraged from going out with the baby, so we spent very little of our time there exploring. Other than a few planned group excursions, we were mostly holed up in the guest house trying to amuse ourselves. China has been the opposite of that thus far and these first few days have felt much more like a vacation. However, when we walked into the hotel room yesterday in Taiyuan...there was a crib. So if it didn't seem real yet, it is now starting to feel so. When we leave this hotel, we will be a family of seven. We talked to the kids last night reminding them about all that Lexi is losing in the next few days and the many things that will be different for her. We have been fun and loud and crazy, but as we welcome this new little one who has never known a family, we are all going to need to quiet down and pour into her as she begins to grieve some tremendous losses.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QwXOOp1orgA/Vsm9uQ72k4I/AAAAAAAAC50/9BVUGSISVmI/s1600/IMG_0960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QwXOOp1orgA/Vsm9uQ72k4I/AAAAAAAAC50/9BVUGSISVmI/s400/IMG_0960.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />It is Monday morning in China. We were actually supposed to be meeting Lexi today, but since it is a government holiday, her "Gotcha Day" has been postponed until tomorrow. We are thrilled, &nbsp;but also know that there is much work ahead. It leaves me with mixed emotions, both excitement and fear. Some days we are so spent as parents that we wonder what we will have left for a fifth child, but we are trusting God to provide for each day and to fill us when we are weary. Please pray for us all as we make this transition and add another one to the brood, but especially for Alexis as she loses everything she has ever known.Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-75481301279640975902016-02-20T15:15:00.003-05:002016-02-21T17:07:12.900-05:00Beijing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We had an amazing day yesterday in Beijing. The adoption agency we are using is Great Wall and upon arrival, we met with other families from Great Wall as well as an adorable guide named Emma. It is 13 hours later here than in the U.S., so what was Saturday already for us was spent with our group and Emma as we toured the city. We began the morning in Tiananmen Square and then proceed to walk through the Forbidden City. It was freezing outside, but quite something to stand in that huge square with the picture of Chairman Mao looming. &nbsp;The Forbidden City was gorgeous and for those familiar with Chinese history, it truly gave you a sense of what it must have been like to be an emporer hundreds of years ago. The best part was that we had Emma with us, and she would stop every 15 minutes or so to provide a detailed history lesson about the particular site we were viewing. The kids loved it and I'm sure we learned much more than we would have on our own. The Great Wall group is terrific and we are enjoying getting to know the other families who are also here to adopt Chinese kiddos. There is even one family from Atlanta who's adoption journey was made possible in part by a grant from <a href="http://www.promise686.org/">Promise 686</a>!&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OGB7EpwxBkY/VshWeSnuGPI/AAAAAAAAC34/CaUNRo2Ig4I/s1600/IMG_0880.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OGB7EpwxBkY/VshWeSnuGPI/AAAAAAAAC34/CaUNRo2Ig4I/s400/IMG_0880.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lZqvUfi44aI/VshWYbd1_fI/AAAAAAAAC30/M9OGlIFlMCg/s1600/IMG_0895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lZqvUfi44aI/VshWYbd1_fI/AAAAAAAAC30/M9OGlIFlMCg/s400/IMG_0895.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yvzTYjN9wTc/VshWirHgkBI/AAAAAAAAC38/1xcbfsdU-Nw/s1600/IMG_0907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yvzTYjN9wTc/VshWirHgkBI/AAAAAAAAC38/1xcbfsdU-Nw/s400/IMG_0907.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C_qzWEOm6Y0/Vshambi4N9I/AAAAAAAAC4o/HwklPwrPz_I/s1600/IMG_0902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C_qzWEOm6Y0/Vshambi4N9I/AAAAAAAAC4o/HwklPwrPz_I/s400/IMG_0902.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SZ8o5kax4g8/Vshaj2z4vGI/AAAAAAAAC4k/0VMy7B0NVec/s1600/IMG_8267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SZ8o5kax4g8/Vshaj2z4vGI/AAAAAAAAC4k/0VMy7B0NVec/s400/IMG_8267.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9gv7NsktQnk/VshaWELTLWI/AAAAAAAAC4w/870gv6Mcyd0/s1600/IMG_8264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9gv7NsktQnk/VshaWELTLWI/AAAAAAAAC4w/870gv6Mcyd0/s400/IMG_8264.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />We had lunch with our group yesterday and took a tour of a jade factory. Then we finished up the day at the Great Wall. Breath-taking. The enormity of it is just difficult to fathom. It extends across the mountainside and feels like it wouldn't be humanly possible to build a structure at such a length and size during that time period, but there it was. It struck the kids too, just how mammoth and beautiful it was and we had fun climbing the treacherous steps. Caleb is usually our fearless one, but as we climbed he finally reached a point that he felt was too steep and scary, and so we stopped there.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--4qkeZDNxw0/VshYXRALv1I/AAAAAAAAC4I/pcW4xk4QXIU/s1600/IMG_0916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--4qkeZDNxw0/VshYXRALv1I/AAAAAAAAC4I/pcW4xk4QXIU/s400/IMG_0916.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zUxhVTwSXMc/Vsi759diUHI/AAAAAAAAC5E/O8XzjxLjJTk/s1600/IMG_0930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zUxhVTwSXMc/Vsi759diUHI/AAAAAAAAC5E/O8XzjxLjJTk/s400/IMG_0930.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WZRi949pcsM/Vsi7wJCzP8I/AAAAAAAAC5A/0VIq2yD-9Gc/s1600/IMG_8277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WZRi949pcsM/Vsi7wJCzP8I/AAAAAAAAC5A/0VIq2yD-9Gc/s400/IMG_8277.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a0TSQ92b1B4/VshYY--oZUI/AAAAAAAAC4M/iIGyjaRg4vY/s1600/IMG_0928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a0TSQ92b1B4/VshYY--oZUI/AAAAAAAAC4M/iIGyjaRg4vY/s400/IMG_0928.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hcppNbNyVXQ/Vsha68Lh5-I/AAAAAAAAC4s/L4EaKn2CcLg/s1600/IMG_8290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hcppNbNyVXQ/Vsha68Lh5-I/AAAAAAAAC4s/L4EaKn2CcLg/s400/IMG_8290.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The kids are having a blast and they have held up well. There are several children in our tour group too. Bailey is carrying a selfie stick everywhere we go and she and Luke have been doing info videos about the particular site. The food situation has been good. We have allergy cards written in Mandarin to show at restaurants. However, we have also brought quite a few snacks and camping meals. The kids pack a thermos in the morning and have that to eat all day in case we run across a situation where we just aren't sure it is safe. The time change is difficult, but doable. We are waking up very early in the morning (no one seems to be able to sleep past 5:00am), then we try to stay up all day with no naps and we go to bed around 8:00pm. It has been working well, but there is a period from about 5:30pm-8:00pm when we are fighting hard to stay awake.<br /><br />One of the funnier things has been the desire of the Chinese people &nbsp;to take pictures of our kids. We had heard this might happen and Emma said that it is because American kids just look so different than what Chinese people are used too, that we have a lot of kids, and we also have one who obviously doesn't match us. She warned us that it will happen even more in the next few days as we spend time in a smaller city. Luke's blond hair and blue eyes are quite the attention getter, Caleb is the only African I &nbsp;have seen anywhere and Emmy has been told she is beautiful about 1,000 times. We joked yesterday that because Bailey has had pants on, no one can even see her prosthetic leg...I can't imagine what would happen if she was wearing shorts, because you just don't see a lot of disabilities here either. &nbsp;This photo below is of a lady taking a picture of her friends with our kids. Some of the people are very sweet and simply ask us if it's ok and they usually want to get in the picture as well, &nbsp;others try to sneak them in the background while taking a selfie and some just walk up and take one without asking. It is pretty funny, but the kids are getting a kick out of their pseudo celebrity status.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EUNzS5DHZWg/VshYdskUNlI/AAAAAAAAC4Q/o5i_Mmyf3tw/s1600/IMG_0927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EUNzS5DHZWg/VshYdskUNlI/AAAAAAAAC4Q/o5i_Mmyf3tw/s400/IMG_0927.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Yesterday was awesome. From the enthusiasm and energy level of our children to the sites we saw and information we learned, it exceeded our expectations on every level. Patrick and I were very thankful to have the kids with us because they learned an incredible amount of Chinese history and in a way that I am certain will stick with them. This morning we head back to the airport to fly to Taiyuan in the Shanxi province. This is the province where Lexi is, although we still won't get to meet her for a few days. The rest of our Great Wall group will be flying to the provinces of their children and then we will all meet in Guangzhou in a few days to finish up the necessary appointments and paperwork.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Please pray for safe travel. I think we may have to break the no nap rule today (Sunday) because as I type this it is 4:00am and EVERYONE is awake.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The next update will be from Taiyuan! One step closer to our baby girl!&nbsp;</div><br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-637714663594594112016-02-19T08:13:00.002-05:002016-02-20T14:08:08.088-05:00Finally in ChinaWe are finally in Beijing after a LONG travel day...or night...I'm not sure really what time it is or what time my body actually thinks it is. <br /><br />Our longest leg of the flight was Detroit to Beijing and that was 14 hours. If you are someone who can sleep in an airplane seat, you should count it as one of God's greatest gifts. We all got some sporadic and uncomfortable rest over the duration, but it definitely cannot be called sleep. The kids were champs though. They all did well and the flight could not have gone more smoothly. No allergic food reactions and no meltdowns...so we'll count that as a win. Still, after 14 hours we were definitely done.<br /><br />Our guide met us as well as several other families at the airport. We checked into the hotel and had dinner...and we had no energy for anything else. We were all falling asleep at the dinner table. So now everyone is tucked in bed and getting some much needed rest. Tomorrow is a sight-seeing day and we will be heading to the Great Wall. Thank you for praying...today went more smoothly than expected.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GkLpjFWtIQE/VseLCWuCqVI/AAAAAAAAC3Q/HFPT-ti0IeU/s1600/IMG_0869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GkLpjFWtIQE/VseLCWuCqVI/AAAAAAAAC3Q/HFPT-ti0IeU/s320/IMG_0869.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-87AZkSldtjg/VseK-Fwd1-I/AAAAAAAAC3M/P7I-_mSzebw/s1600/IMG_8232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-87AZkSldtjg/VseK-Fwd1-I/AAAAAAAAC3M/P7I-_mSzebw/s320/IMG_8232.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uEh7Gf3VkE8/VseK2j7skDI/AAAAAAAAC3I/JOztGsDJPIA/s1600/IMG_8239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uEh7Gf3VkE8/VseK2j7skDI/AAAAAAAAC3I/JOztGsDJPIA/s320/IMG_8239.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T_SDaEu-_HM/VseMRzjIqzI/AAAAAAAAC3g/tsSIFt7sIeg/s1600/IMG_0871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T_SDaEu-_HM/VseMRzjIqzI/AAAAAAAAC3g/tsSIFt7sIeg/s320/IMG_0871.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vA31vT36KNw/VseMLa8wSCI/AAAAAAAAC3c/TnPs6drmKSQ/s1600/IMG_0875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vA31vT36KNw/VseMLa8wSCI/AAAAAAAAC3c/TnPs6drmKSQ/s320/IMG_0875.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-38Iwbhsx5cg/VseMUgV7_vI/AAAAAAAAC3k/CeY8JPflAC8/s1600/IMG_0877.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-38Iwbhsx5cg/VseMUgV7_vI/AAAAAAAAC3k/CeY8JPflAC8/s320/IMG_0877.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-14805935880903767112016-02-17T22:38:00.000-05:002016-02-17T22:57:29.094-05:00The Bag Are Packed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IyGh18DxQbw/VsU3ADQ-nVI/AAAAAAAAC24/OSCAC2uWnNU/s1600/IMG_6790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IyGh18DxQbw/VsU3ADQ-nVI/AAAAAAAAC24/OSCAC2uWnNU/s400/IMG_6790.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Our Chinese adoption started about ten years ago. Seriously. It is a long, drawn out, God-story, with an ample mix of joy and sorrow. For the full version, check out the "Adoption Story" tab above.&nbsp; There have been so many stops and starts to it over the years. Now, even though our bags are packed, it still feels as though we are simply taking a vacation. We are going on holiday to the Great Wall, except that I packed an extra suitcase for a child we have never met. It is an adventure to China, with a baby pick-up smack dab in the middle. It's crazy and it's a lot for my brain to comprehend. Our hearts have been broken repeatedly, and for many years we thought a Chinese adoption was no longer a possibility. We have been in protection mode for so long that it is difficult to let down those emotional walls. </span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small;">But it is time. We are crazy excited and completely afraid...which is usually where stepping out in faith leads you. It's a healthy mix of joy, thanksgiving and sheer terror. We have done this whole parenting thing before...both bio and adopted...and it is not for sissies. Plus, we are old now. Adding another little one with some special needs makes no practical sense. It certainly will not make life easier, and yet when God calls, you feel the undeniable desire to march forward anyway.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Please join us in prayer as we take this clan on the road to round up the one little soul we have been praying for and pursuing since long before she was even born. </span>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-49638197637139827302015-10-15T16:49:00.000-04:002015-10-16T23:07:02.648-04:00Survive? Thrive. <div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>My friend, Stephanie Zimmerman, runs an organization called "myHeart, yourHands." She is a Ewing's sarcoma survivor, nurse and also, </i></span></span><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>because of heart failure due to her cancer treatment years ago</i></span></span>, a heart transplant recipient. The purpose of MHYH is to bring attention and support to the issue of the long-term, late effects of childhood cancer treatment. For more information, the website link is below:</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><a href="http://www.myheartyourhands.org/">myHeart, yourHands</a></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>A few weeks ago, Stephanie asked me to write a post for the MHYH blog. The entry was divided into two parts, but I've posted it here in its entirety:</i></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Eight grueling months of high-dose chemotherapy. Amputation of a portion of her right leg. It was emotionally exhausting and physically brutal, but our ten-year old daughter, Bailey, had finished her treatment protocol for osteosarcoma. We were overwhelmingly grateful that she made it through, because many of the children we had met along the way did not survive. But we left the hospital that last day with very little fanfare and even less information. It felt anti-climatic, incomplete and lacking any sort of formal closure.&nbsp; They had been dumping toxic sludge into her body for months, yet there was no next step. There was no doctor ready to help us put her back together. Our bald, painfully thin, ghostly pale child who also happened to now be missing half a leg w<span style="background-color: white;"></span>as sent home with the parting words, “See you for scans in three months.” Done. Or so we thought. What we did not realize was that the unsettling feeling with which we left was only a hint of the new normal to come. A life after childhood cancer is a life filled with the fear of relapse and the possibility that the long-term side effects of her treatment would dramatically reduce the quality or duration of her life. As we celebrated the hope that the osteosarcoma was truly gone, we also began to see that there was much of the journey left to travel and that some of it would still be incredibly difficult, not because of the cancer itself, but because of her cure. <br /><br />We are blessed and grateful that Bailey has shown no evidence of disease for almost three years now, but we also understand that completing the treatment portion of our journey was not the end, but rather the beginning of the lifelong battle faced by survivors. When Bailey was two years off of treatment, we had our first contact with the survivor clinic. To outsiders, this sounds encouraging and hopeful, a proud graduation of sorts. In reality, survivor clinic exists because childhood cancer treatment is so detrimental to a body, that a survivor must spend the rest of their life monitoring and managing the health issues created by the long-term side effects of their cancer protocol. Since the drugs used for childhood cancer are decades old, they destroy the cancer by obliterating everything. While that battle plan is sometimes successful in killing the rogue cells, it also destroys a myriad of other good things and causes significant collateral damage. This damage is magnified in young, still-growing bodies. Survivor clinic is the point at which a patient looks marginally less over their shoulder for the cancer to return and more forward-facing to the possible problems caused by the high-dose chemotherapy, radiation, medications and surgical intervention that were part of the initial treatment plan. The long-term side effect list is terrifying and includes, but is certainly not limited to, hearing loss, cardiac failure, endocrine issues, kidney failure, cognitive challenges, loss of limbs, infertility and secondary cancers. What is less well understood outside of the cancer community is that this list is not composed of rarities that happen in worst case scenarios, but is rather a life-altering buffet of which each child will get a plateful. All children who survive a battle with childhood cancer will likely have multiple health challenges for the remainder of their lives. Bailey is no exception.<br /><br />I am not sure what I expected at our first official appointment in the world of survivorship, but something in me felt as though the experience should have a different ambiance than the oncology clinic where we did the bulk of Bailey’s treatment. But in reality, the mood was still quite clinical, bordering on depressing. We were faced with new nurses and doctors with whom we had no relationship and who knew very little about the specifics of our child. These doctors rattled off potential issues and asked a multitude of questions in a tone that came across as slightly condescending. It was quite cold and distant. Interestingly though, none of the information they provided was either new or particularly helpful. By the end of a cancer fight, any true “mom-cologist” already knows exactly what the risks are to her child and what to be watching for in the future. Sadly, survivor clinic seemed very much like an oncology appointment rather than a wellness visit and our general feeling walking away was simply, “Ugh.” <br /><br />In these years since Bailey finished treatment,&nbsp; I have given much thought to how we can more seamlessly transition to post-cancer care. Is there a better way than this relatively useless plan of doing only scans and blood work for a few years, until you ultimately progress to a once a year oncology pilgrimage where they do essentially nothing, wait until a problem develops and then try to determine how to treat it. The options for improvement are endless and I am not a medical professional, but based on our personal experiences, it seems there are three obvious changes that would make a significant difference in the after cancer lives of these kids. First, immediately following treatment the child should be connected with a post-treatment team of integrative doctors. The focus of this group would be to help the child’s body recover from the effects of the chemotherapy, radiation and other tragedies of treatment.&nbsp; This would include good nutrition, supplements, detoxification and any other east meets west medical practices proven to aid in the body’s healing and recovery. Secondly, there should be an extensive focus on counseling and psychological care. Most cancer parents and many cancer children and siblings are left with some level of post-traumatic stress and in many cases it is so severe that it makes it difficult to function in everyday life. They have been through a war of a different kind and many need help being made whole again emotionally. Lastly, children’s survivor clinics should look more like wellness centers.&nbsp; It should be a non-clinical environment comprised of compassionate care and relationships. The medical team employed there needs to fully realize two things. One, that treatment should be proactive and anticipatory. And two, that even as “survivors,” cancer kids will be facing new losses and grief repeatedly over the course of their lives. Whether they will need drugs to start puberty, are told they can never have children, require hearing aids, are unable to return to an activity they loved prior to cancer, are having learning difficulties, or cannot keep up with their friends on the playground due to physical challenges, the medical team treating these children must understand that each loss related to cancer is a new one and must be validated and mourned properly before the child will be able to move forward. The care must fully encompass mind, body and spirit. <br /><br />When we were forced into this world almost four years ago, our goal for Bailey was simple. Live.&nbsp; What we did not realize was that the transition to survivor would be laden with so many questions, much watching and waiting, anxiety, endless appointments, significant challenges, many losses, and much grief and wrestling in an effort to find peace and a new normal. It has been three years since her treatment ended and yet we still live with some result of this beast almost every day. The physical list is long and includes scans every three months, survivor clinic once a year, echocardiograms to monitor for heart damage, auditory tests to monitor for hearing loss, physical therapy, and endless appointments with her prosthetist. But emotionally, there are other struggles. Because Bailey is an amputee, there are a number of daily life challenges and it is something she will deal with forever. She has said good-bye to friends who did not survive and she has experienced sorrow that prevents her from being a normal child ever again. She has grown up far too quickly. All of these kids suffer greatly both during their illness and after. We long for better treatments and for a day when being a survivor means just that. A day when a survivor can go months or even years without giving cancer a moment of thought.&nbsp; Until then, we hope for providers who will come alongside with a wellness approach. Doctors who will help childhood cancer survivors anticipate issues and pursue health. These kids deserve a cure that does not leave them with additional pain, fear and a lifetime of health problems. Until that day arrives, they deserve long-term care that will allow them to not only survive, but to thrive. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-42190058479690101422015-10-13T20:21:00.003-04:002015-10-15T17:04:49.141-04:00Love. Kids. Cure. September T-Shirts <span style="font-size: large;">The Love.Kids.Cure t-shirt drive is a wrap for this year. We netted about $2000 in t-shirts sales and that money will be going to <a href="http://www.curechildhoodcancer.org/">CURE Childhood Cancer</a>. Thank you for going gold with us!</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Start checking the store in the summer of 2016 for next September's fundraiser. </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.gogoldinseptember.bigcartel.com/">Go Gold Fundraising Store</a></span><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YFqJp1DT-n0/Vh2fl3xRtJI/AAAAAAAAC2c/igkcMQtgYfY/s1600/Moody%2Bchildhood%2Bcancer%2Bmockups%2Bblack%2BLS%2Btee%2B2015-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YFqJp1DT-n0/Vh2fl3xRtJI/AAAAAAAAC2c/igkcMQtgYfY/s320/Moody%2Bchildhood%2Bcancer%2Bmockups%2Bblack%2BLS%2Btee%2B2015-01.png" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VhlfWUyfOQg/Vh2flqCkebI/AAAAAAAAC2Y/Kq_g7GhhlBI/s1600/Moody%2Bchildhood%2Bcancer%2Bheadband%2B2015-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VhlfWUyfOQg/Vh2flqCkebI/AAAAAAAAC2Y/Kq_g7GhhlBI/s320/Moody%2Bchildhood%2Bcancer%2Bheadband%2B2015-01.png" width="247" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6rMuGcYGdoA/Vh2flqGi_RI/AAAAAAAAC2g/KkxHJMiQPVo/s1600/Moody%2Bchildhood%2Bcancer%2Bmockups%2Bgrey%2Btee%2B2015-01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6rMuGcYGdoA/Vh2flqGi_RI/AAAAAAAAC2g/KkxHJMiQPVo/s320/Moody%2Bchildhood%2Bcancer%2Bmockups%2Bgrey%2Btee%2B2015-01.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-89340261209491212172015-05-04T10:34:00.001-04:002015-09-15T19:09:55.190-04:00Help make Kylie's Dream Come True! <br /><div style="text-align: center;">Please watch and share this important video.</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A5fKD02bFtc" width="480"></iframe></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-46085299436249439612015-03-15T23:33:00.001-04:002015-10-25T22:08:44.375-04:00Our After - The Bad, The Good...and The Ugly (3 years later) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a8-ju-KjhJ4/U4_fjDvvtzI/AAAAAAAACRM/XPp_zSGIFmQ/s1600/IMG_6834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a8-ju-KjhJ4/U4_fjDvvtzI/AAAAAAAACRM/XPp_zSGIFmQ/s640/IMG_6834.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Three years ago today, our ten-year old daughter was groggy, in pain, waking up from biopsy surgery on a mass in her lower right femur. We were squeezed like sardines into a tiny recovery room, attempting laughter and normalcy in the most abnormal of locations. The diagnosis was not yet official, so a sliver of hope remained. It was a Thursday.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The few days prior to this moment had been terrifying. Not safe scary, like a roller-coaster or thrill ride where you are securely buckled in and know that the end will come quickly. Scary like when your chest tightens, you can't breathe and you feel as though your heart might explode. A vomit-inducing free fall with no end in sight. Persistent knee pain in our oldest child had led to an x-ray on a Sunday afternoon, with the expectation of finding a sports injury. But a frantic call from our pediatrician on Monday morning, left us longing for just a sprained knee. I remember exactly where I was and I will never forget the haunting tone in her voice.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">"I don't know how to tell you this...but I think Bailey has a bone tumor." </span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">What I heard that morning, gave birth to a fear in my soul like I had never known. I suppose the phone call was the soft-launch of our after - though not a diagnosis, it is when the Googling began and the sleeping ended. This was a huge no-no of course, but we were desperate for information and we needed to understand the possibilities of what we were facing. Bailey had an MRI the next day, Tuesday, and based on that, the assumption was that it was a tumor of some kind. This brings us back to Thursday. Finally, after the moments crept by, the surgeon opened the door. It had been less than five days since the first x-ray and hint of trouble. He confirmed what our Web-MD-ing had suggested.</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">"It is cancer. Osteosarcoma."&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">And thus was ushered in our official after. The moment in the life of our family by which everything will now be dated.&nbsp; The almost year that Bailey spent in treatment was grueling. We had no idea that childhood cancer was that horrific. Hair loss, nausea, mouth sores, sleepless nights, missing of school and friends, surgeries, scans and the endless days in the hospital. To add another complicated layer of grief, we had exactly ten weeks from that day of diagnosis to decide how to remove the tumor. Bailey could keep her leg and give up all of the active things she loved, of she could sacrifice her leg and looking like everyone else, to remain active and athletic for the rest of her life. Agony. How does a parent make that choice? Pain and fear touched every moment.</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">When you finish treatment and survive, the closure is a bit uneventful. The last chemo flows, and you are on your way. There is no fanfare, no trumpet, no treatment in an effort to mitigate the damage done by the toxic cure. Off you go into the sunset. What should be a joyful moment is actually quite unsettling for most. You have been on the aggressive attack for so long and then...just done. Re-entry into your life feels quite precarious. </span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Bad</span></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">We have spent the last couple of years learning to live in this after. It is not what we expected. For over two years, we have been existing in three-month increments...scan to scan, never knowing if the next one would be the one to send us back into that hell. There is no guarantee that the cancer will not return, so you wait and hope. It is exhausting. Our daughter who began this process as a child, is now a young lady. She has been asked to carry a heavy emotional load, and it has aged her. She wants desperately to care about what 13-year olds are interested in, but that luxury has been stolen. The ravages of this battle have left scars on all of us, including our other three children. I never imagined life after cancer to be so complex. </span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">It has been three years since that gut-wrenching day in the recovery room at the children's hospital. While Bailey's official cancer treatment ended two years ago, our journey will be lifelong. Once you are in, you cannot get out.&nbsp; There are many days that I want to run screaming from this world and pretend that I never knew it existed, but it is impossible to un-see. Between walking with the families we love, monitoring Bailey for late effects, raising a daughter who is now an amputee, and following our call to fight for those who can't, we are in this forever. I am slowly and somewhat grudgingly accepting that we could not have gained the good, without experiencing the bad. I wish that weren't true. I long for a less painful way to grow, but the two are joined completely. Very rarely is there a simple conclusion to the difficult parts of our lives. The normal pattern is not valley, mountain top, repeat. It is the combination of deep chasms, steep climbs, and gentle undulations. There are mountaintops, but they are fleeting.&nbsp; It is not sorrow or joy. It is both-and. There is good. There is bad. And sometimes learning to live in that tension can be ugly. I am clinging to the hope that some day, He will make it all beautiful.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small;">It is difficult to admit, because there is an expectation (at least self-imposed) to be joyful all of the time. We won the battle, right? But permanent joy is obviously unrealistic. Thankfulness overwhelms, but this journey is never over and the hard parts of it have been much more frequent than we imagined. Most parents experience some level of PTSD and depression once treatment concludes, and this was no different for our family. Fear and anxiety are constant companions. While some days we raise our hands and turn over our worries, many times they gain a choke-hold on our joy. Living in the day, with hands open to the Giver and not clenched on the gift requires consistent work, prayer and time with God. Seeing sick and dying children beats down your soul. We have watched too many hurt and we are weary. We have chosen to invest in the childhood cancer community because we feel called to fight, but it is not without a cost. Looking at old pictures of Bailey has become difficult. The pictures during treatment dredge up all of the emotions once again, and the pictures of our warrior princess with two healthy legs, they make my heart ache. Nothing anymore is ever just a twisted ankle, or a headache, or tweaked something. Anytime Bailey complains of an injury,&nbsp; I can feel my chest tighten and my heart race, because the word relapse is always lurking in my mind, easily summoned by an errant ache or pain. And the late effects? She is an amputee and this creates its own list of difficulties. It doesn't seem fair. To think that this "cure" can be the origin so many other real and painful long-term issues, how much must these children endure? Living in the after has been a more challenging road than we expected.<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;</span></b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Good</span></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">But there is another piece to this picture. While much of it has been difficult and painful, there is also tremendous good. Our family is different in many ways and this blessing could not have come without the walk through the valley. Our joy is so much bigger. A typical day feels like an amazing gift because we lived so many that were anything but normal. We love being together as a family, after so much time being separated.&nbsp; Our purpose for living and for making the time we are given count has been renewed and clarified. We love more completely and with more empathy and tenderness. We know better how to walk with and serve someone who is suffering. We understand that to someone in pain, using hands and feet to meet their needs is much more helpful than throwing out Biblical platitudes. We have gotten to know some amazing cancer families and nurses, people who will forever be a part of our lives. We appreciate life on a different level. And one of the most amazing results, is that our faith has been tested, and it withstood the fire. It is real and there is tremendous peace that comes from this.&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Ugly</span></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">So here is the ugly. As we have spent more and more time on this windy road, we are learning to better navigate, although it is never easy. We live in a culture of prosperity theology, which really isn't theology at all, but is more about being happy. What can God do for me? Sadly, it is not possible to face the broken life of this fallen world and be consistently happy. Completely impossible. Suffering is unavoidable and it will come to everyone. We also live in a religious culture in which people try to wrap up God's story in a neat little package. I suffered, God did this, and now I can see why I had to go through it, but hooray it is over.&nbsp; We will neither always be happy, nor will we always see the bigger picture of how God is using our pain. Yes, there are amazing miracle stories wrapped in a neat little bow. Is this your life? It isn't mine. Many times there will be overwhelming pain and we will never understand it this side of Heaven. I<span style="font-family: inherit;">'ll close with th</span>is quote from Kara Tippetts, a brave and full of grace mother of four, spoken as she was close to death after a long battle with cancer: </span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: small;"><i>"Suffering isn't a mistake, it isn't the absence of God's goodness...because...He is present in the pain."&nbsp;</i></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>- Kara Tippetts</i></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">One caveat to this entry. This is OUR after. It is my experience as it relates to our journey. I cannot speak for the grieving mothers who have lost children to this beast. For understandable reasons, they may not be able to find any good in any part of their journey. The mamas of Nolan, Brayden, Alyssa, Sydney, Sierra, Lily, Mathias, Gabriella, Erin, Kylie and the seven kids who die every day from cancer...they have their own story to tell. For more information on childhood cancer, please visit (and like on Facebook):</span></div></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><a href="http://www.thetruth365.org/">TheTruth365</a></i></span></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-80209352476977071652014-07-23T01:34:00.001-04:002015-10-15T17:08:48.048-04:00ORDER NOW! September Childhood Cancer Awareness Month Gear (Deadline is Aug. 1)<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><a href="http://gogoldinseptember.bigcartel.com/">Go Gold in September</a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Ordering deadline is August 1, 2014 </span></span></b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-olcyLux5NwE/U89Eb9PI_1I/AAAAAAAACSM/yx22SQiPWj0/s1600/Moody+childhood+cancer+mockups+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-olcyLux5NwE/U89Eb9PI_1I/AAAAAAAACSM/yx22SQiPWj0/s1600/Moody+childhood+cancer+mockups+2014.jpg" width="516" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Product Info:&nbsp; </u></b><i><br /></i></span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size: large;"><b>T-Shirt</b><i> - color: vintage royal, triblend, super soft tee (for those who ordered last year's t-shirt, this one is the same style), available in both youth and adult sizes (YXS-YXL, AS-A2XL), pricing: youth-$22, adult s-xl-$25, adult 2xl-$27, shipping already included (if you are local and would like to pick up your order, shipping fee will be donated to the cause)</i></span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Baseball cap</b><i> - color: putty/stone, unstructured, low-profile, heavy-contrast visor stitching, hook &amp; loop strap closure, one size only (adult), pricing: $15, shipping already included (if you are local and would like to pick up your order, shipping fee will be donated to the cause)</i></span></li></ul><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Here is how to order:</b></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">1) </span>Pre-order the t-shirts and caps using the </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><a href="http://gogoldinseptember.bigcartel.com/">Go Gold in September</a></span> link. By pre-ordering, it allows me to place an order for accurate quantities with my vendor, thus I can avoid getting stuck with extra inventory that I cannot sell. Plus, if you pay up front, I don't have to chase you down for a check later like some sort of vicious bill collector. It's a win-win. </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">2)</span> Pay at <span style="color: #f1c232;"><a href="http://gogoldinseptember.bigcartel.com/">Go Gold In September</a></span> via PayPal. Super easy.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">3)</span> The merchandise will arrive at your door by the end of August (do not expect it sooner, as it will take extra time for me to pack and ship the merchandise to you after I receive it from my vendor).&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">4)</span> For those who do not want to buy gear or who would like to make a flat monetary donation in addition to the merchandise, please hang tight until September. Bailey is going to be a CURE kid for that month and you will be able to make a tax-deductible donation on the CURE website in honor of Bailey (and the many other kids who have faced this battle). </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://gogoldinseptember.bigcartel.com/"><b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Go Gold in September!&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></b></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffd966;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: large;">Awareness + Money + Research = CURE </span></span></span></b></span></span></span></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-42278230288506460632014-06-05T21:25:00.000-04:002015-08-14T16:56:47.205-04:00Two Years...After (Part II)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S3sNchx54mo/U5CPU3W-c_I/AAAAAAAACPw/L10tgaMxcio/s1600/10172630_10152072398522546_5070444151618319184_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S3sNchx54mo/U5CPU3W-c_I/AAAAAAAACPw/L10tgaMxcio/s1600/10172630_10152072398522546_5070444151618319184_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Cindi Fortmann Photography</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;">I struggle to believe that it has been two years since they wheeled Bailey out of that waiting room to take her leg. We strive to live in the day and not look backward or forward. But when I see old pictures of her, it can be painful. It is especially hard to see photos from when she was really young, with her chubby little legs, perfect and healthy. The memories of her amputation day are vivid and will always remain that way. I will not forget the emotions, the pain, the fear. They are seared into my being.</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">We had done our research, and even though the decision seemed somewhat unusual and slightly crazy, we did have peace knowing that God was leading us down the path of rotationplasty. It was clear for a number of reasons. Yet this did not alleviate the agony or uncertainties. We could not avoid walking through the grief and loss. We also had to figure out how to parent a child through this trauma. It was a long and rocky road. There were so many moments when we felt so overwhelmed and afraid that we did not know how to continue forward. </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">But as I reflect, with the hindsight of two years, I am completely overjoyed by what God has done. Bailey has adjusted to her new normal with a maturity and grace that leaves me in awe. She has been amazing and each day I am convicted by her joy and willingness to tackle life. She is much tougher and works so much harder than I thought possible for a child of her young age. I am completely astounded by her progress on a prosthetic leg. We thought it would take years, and in God's sweet mercy, she played three sports for her school this year. Gratefulness overflows. Big, crazy joy.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AcEzN3RaNuQ/U4_s6mXNKwI/AAAAAAAACPI/qglG8zhIbio/s1600/IMG_3279.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AcEzN3RaNuQ/U4_s6mXNKwI/AAAAAAAACPI/qglG8zhIbio/s1600/IMG_3279.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Are there still hard days? Absolutely. Sometimes Bailey has such a cheerful spirit and makes it look so easy that I think people forget what she is actually living with on a daily basis...both big things and little things. If she has to use the bathroom at night, she hops. Every time she takes a shower, she must balance on one leg. She is not as fast as she used to be. Certain fashion items are a challenge because they do not fit well over a prosthesis. She burns about 60% more energy doing a physical task than someone with two good legs. There are a few things here and there that she cannot do and&nbsp; she finds that incredibly frustrating. If she swims at the pool without her prosthesis, people stare. As a parent, there are challenges as well. We will have a lifetime of appointments, juggling insurance, paying for legs, adjusting legs as she grows and making sure her technology is the most current. We are learning how to parent the emotions of a child with a physical challenge. When she is struggling, we want to show empathy and validate what she is feeling, but ultimately we must teach her to march forward. It can be emotionally tiring to find the balance between being too tough and allowing the mentality of a victim to surface. There are a number of ways that life is more difficult as an amputee, and every now and then, on the hard days, it can feel very unfair. But overall, I believe we would say that the amputation portion of this journey is not quite as difficult as we imagined it to be in those dark weeks leading up to her surgery. </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Bailey is doing incredibly well. She has embraced this as God's path for her life and she is learning to use her story to minister to others. We have already had so many wonderful and unexpected opportunities arise and the beauty is that these experiences have begun to give Bailey just a small glimpse of the bigger picture. Cancer takes something from everyone. It is a beast and it steals. From some, the bounty may be smaller, while others pay the ultimate price. Bailey was sad the other day about something she was struggling with because she is an amputee, and I reminded her that no one escapes cancer without some kind of loss. Our goal with this surgery, was to attempt to limit the loss so that after cancer, she could return to doing almost everything she loves to do. </span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">This warrior princess has already exceeded any expectations we may have had and she has done it faster and with more joy than we could have dreamed. We are grateful that this surgery was a choice and we are thankful to her surgeons, Dr. Scarborough and Dr. Gibbs, for doing an amazing job. We adore her wonderful friends who are incredibly loyal and loving. It has been two years since that terrifying day. It is not always easy and there are certainly challenges, but Bailey is handling life beautifully and when she does not feel strong enough, we know that He is filling her. We are incredibly grateful that God continues to supply all of us with what we need for this journey. We are 100% committed to this battle against childhood cancer because we know the gift we have been given and we will fight always for those who cannot. Our faith has been strengthened, as has our conviction to be certain we are living lives with an eternal focus. Life is precious and we do not want to waste a moment.&nbsp; </span><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nFzhU1s0ivw/U4_s6uIF0OI/AAAAAAAACPM/ijdZy7FwuUk/s1600/IMG_3437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nFzhU1s0ivw/U4_s6uIF0OI/AAAAAAAACPM/ijdZy7FwuUk/s1600/IMG_3437.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bailey and our rotationplasty friend, Kelsey</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xAeiWBCzGcc/U4_s6mkur3I/AAAAAAAACPE/vWww8-rtkvE/s1600/IMG_3440.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard casting Bailey for her new leg. </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S0yMAFIzKV8/U4_scynVaGI/AAAAAAAACO0/ynZV1gzRAvU/s1600/IMG_3423.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S0yMAFIzKV8/U4_scynVaGI/AAAAAAAACO0/ynZV1gzRAvU/s1600/IMG_3423.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">School is out for summer. Happy. </td></tr></tbody></table>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-72754925881707845212014-06-05T11:52:00.001-04:002015-08-14T16:55:42.016-04:00Two Years...Before (Part I) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a8-ju-KjhJ4/U4_fjDvvtzI/AAAAAAAACOU/pUomjg0_0pI/s1600/IMG_6834.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a8-ju-KjhJ4/U4_fjDvvtzI/AAAAAAAACOU/pUomjg0_0pI/s1600/IMG_6834.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">It was a dark and early morning after a sleepless night. Other than the hours immediately following Bailey's cancer diagnosis, I cannot remember a more fitful evening. Sleep was not fleeting, it completely eluded. I vividly remember pulling into the hospital parking lot on the frightful morning that followed. I walked behind Bailey and her daddy, and I found myself fixated on her right leg. That had been the case for weeks. I could not stop staring at her legs. I wondered how long it would be until she walked again. Would she have a normal gait? Would it be years until she was running? Could she handle looking different? I could barely breathe as we entered the doors of Shands Medical Center. We went through intake and were quickly given our place in the holding pen. Beds lined up, curtains that block vision but certainly not noise. So many people preparing for surgery, but we felt so alone. Hearts aching. I remember thinking, please Lord, take this cup. I...cannot...do...it. Because of the beast, the tumor invading Bailey's knee, we were forced to take drastic measures in an effort to not only save her life, but to return to her a life still full of what she loved.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C1ZoSHnXlSY/U4_fjGnsuzI/AAAAAAAACOY/Pa9koUKhwWo/s1600/IMG_6860.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C1ZoSHnXlSY/U4_fjGnsuzI/AAAAAAAACOY/Pa9koUKhwWo/s1600/IMG_6860.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The morning was June 5, 2012 and our 10-year old daughter was about to become an amputee. She was afraid, but she was ready. She is a warrior. We did not know that then, but we do now. Bailey wanted her life back and she would do whatever it took to make that happen. The options for tumor resection were abysmal. (I have written at length about these and that information can be found here: <a href="http://www.leavingitallonthefield.com/2012/04/osteosarcoma-surgery-options.html">osteosarcoma surgical options</a> and <a href="http://www.leavingitallonthefield.com/2012/05/faqs-bailey-osteosarcoma-and.html">rotationplasty FAQs</a>.) The tumor was lodged at the end of her femur and had invaded her knee and if we wanted her to live, the tumor had to come out. We never wavered, but the days leading up to the amputation were agony. Torture. Every night while trying to find sleep, I would sift through the information floating in my brain looking for another way. And in the lonely and frightening hours of darkness, I would re-make the same decision over and over again. It was the only way for this particular child.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">On the morning of June 5, I was summoning every bit of my control, begging God for peace and strength like I have never known. I felt at any moment I would collapse into a puddle on the floor. It was too much. Too much. I wanted to scoop her up and run away, never to be seen again. But Bailey's eyes were scanning ours, looking for clues as to how to respond. She was so steady. I'm amazed now looking back. It must have been God preparing her, filling her up. She was a rock. I could not send her back to surgery knowing that her hysterical mother was the last image she would cling to as she drifted to sleep. I held it together on the outside, while my insides crumbled.&nbsp; They came and got her. As the bed was wheeled away, the weight of what was happening was crushing.&nbsp; We had permanently left the before and we were stepping, rather unwillingly, into the after.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ilxHZGyUc6E/U4_fPWK8ByI/AAAAAAAACN4/fPcyUm-iz-w/s1600/IMG_7092.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ilxHZGyUc6E/U4_fPWK8ByI/AAAAAAAACN4/fPcyUm-iz-w/s1600/IMG_7092.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">On amputation day, we were less than three months from her still very fresh diagnosis. The protocol for osteosarcoma is 10 weeks of chemotherapy, surgical resection of the tumor and then 20 more weeks of chemo. In less than 10 weeks, we had managed to compile a significant amount of information leading up to Bailey's surgical choice. I still do not know how we did it. We were barely breathing, vacillating between searing pain and numbness from exhaustion, but we researched with a pace and intensity matched only by other cancer families. Still very much in shock, we soldiered forward as we talked to doctors and surgeons, we scoured the Internet, we met kids and families, we talked to physical therapists and those with intimate knowledge of all of the options. Time was not a luxury we were given in making a decision that would affect the rest of Bailey's life. We had to push through our pain if we were going to be her advocates and help her to make a wise choice.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">The first time I saw a photo of a rotationplasty I was horrified and quickly noted, "I would never do that to my child." That was before I knew or understood the realities of each of the options. They were not choices at all, at least not choices any parent could ever imagine making.&nbsp; A child could opt to keep their leg <b>or </b>to maintain high function with no limitations, but you could not have both form and function. As our research was accumulating, one choice seemed to continue to rear its unusual head (or maybe I should say foot). I tried to get around it. I kept looking...there must be another way. But rotationplasty, where the tumored portion of the leg and knee is removed, and the bottom portion of the leg is rotated 180 degrees and reattached, this insanity kept jumping to the top of the list.&nbsp; I could not yet say it aloud, but the craziest of the "choices" was feeling like the best option for our daughter.&nbsp; <br />&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-size: large;">When we presented the resection options to Bailey, she knew immediately. She wanted function. Done. Decision made. She has been steadfast in that choice ever since. This was confirmation for Patrick and me. One of the things for which I am most thankful was that all three of us had come to the same conclusion. I do not know how we would have handled it had this not been the case. My gut and advice to other parents is that the kids usually know what they want and I hope we would have deferred to her, but I am glad it never came to that.&nbsp; Many on the outside saw our conclusion as one based around athletics, and it partially was. But in reality, it was more about living an active lifestyle with no restrictions. It was about being able to say yes to adventures and activities instead of no. We opted to grieve one huge loss up front, rather than limitless smaller losses for years to come. It was about making the choice for the most functionality and trusting that God will give her what she needs to cover the rest. In February 2012 we were happy and healthy. On March 15 we had a cancer diagnosis. And on that early morning of June 5, we watched our child walk on two full legs for the last time.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">When they wheeled her away that morning, my heart was completely broken. I had peace, but it is still a decision no one dreams of making for their child. I will never be the same. That level of trauma changes your soul.&nbsp; Based on what we had seen in other kids, we had realistic hope that Bailey would get back to being the active and adventurous child she loved to be, but there were no guarantees. We were terrified. Happiness and health felt lost in the distance somewhere, not even visible through the fog of our fear. </span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bQWip4GOEAo/U4_fQhSml9I/AAAAAAAACOM/r5nPa_I-VVU/s1600/IMG_7122.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bQWip4GOEAo/U4_fQhSml9I/AAAAAAAACOM/r5nPa_I-VVU/s1600/IMG_7122.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br /><br /><br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-37533108835453774302014-04-15T21:28:00.003-04:002015-08-14T16:53:33.783-04:00Rally Idol - Thank You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AMhaI4ltN1Q/U03DHDUKIiI/AAAAAAAACLA/cqa5FbuRr_w/s1600/13561687293_48f9edb686_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="266" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photo courtesy of Chuck Robertson Photography</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">A few weeks ago, Bailey was asked to participate in an event called Rally Idol. The idea began as the dream of 12-year old Emily Roach and evolved into a show where a group of cancer kids would perform and be judged by former Americal Idol contestants Bo Bice, Lauren Alaina, Haley Reinhart and Anthony Federov. People could then vote and donate either online or during the show, with the goal not ever being about choosing a winner, but rather to raise money for childhood cancer research through the Rally Foundation. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EDIAl7Oh1Yo/U03DJuy-X7I/AAAAAAAACLY/ulE0H0CR9Jw/s1600/13562269815_0ba64083b5_o.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Chuck Robertson Photography</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ETZa5f77GXM/U03DIOs98VI/AAAAAAAACLI/tsyZImNLQlA/s1600/13562197305_9f93ea97e7_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ETZa5f77GXM/U03DIOs98VI/AAAAAAAACLI/tsyZImNLQlA/s1600/13562197305_9f93ea97e7_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Chuck Robertson Photography</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_PJJtojoBog/U03DHb_HedI/AAAAAAAACLE/P42B1-unpfQ/s1600/13562229745_a07f9bcf4b_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_PJJtojoBog/U03DHb_HedI/AAAAAAAACLE/P42B1-unpfQ/s1600/13562229745_a07f9bcf4b_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Chuck Robertson Photography</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KvwW7dhnP4I/U03DKsbTNBI/AAAAAAAACLU/NoqpnOPdudg/s1600/13562426165_57487f005b_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KvwW7dhnP4I/U03DKsbTNBI/AAAAAAAACLU/NoqpnOPdudg/s1600/13562426165_57487f005b_o.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Chuck Robertson Photography</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-size: large;">When Bailey convinced us to allow her to participate, we had no idea that the vision for the show was of such size and scope. The kids worked incredibly hard, practicing multiple times to ensure that it was a professional and polished night. One of the most impressive surprises though, was how dedicated the Idol judges were. They were inspired by these kids and 100% committed to using their celebrity to make a difference.</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zbmvatUol5c/U03EGsduDzI/AAAAAAAACMY/hP8n-UYbkkE/s1600/13562146913_ca882674cb_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zbmvatUol5c/U03EGsduDzI/AAAAAAAACMY/hP8n-UYbkkE/s1600/13562146913_ca882674cb_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Chuck Robertson Photography</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hq750dCz978/U03FcnP6XEI/AAAAAAAACM4/u6PbFQmQa6Y/s1600/13562429534_eb60e45381_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photo courtesy of Chuck Robertson Photography</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Qaep6ojlVE/U03D_NwJSeI/AAAAAAAACMA/KSREM6kuxOo/s1600/13562092983_9cf3433e6c_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Qaep6ojlVE/U03D_NwJSeI/AAAAAAAACMA/KSREM6kuxOo/s1600/13562092983_9cf3433e6c_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Chuck Robertson Photography</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ERTy4uanKic/U03EC5jDtGI/AAAAAAAACMQ/gm_PX_hVIIo/s1600/13562124043_3cab96210e_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ERTy4uanKic/U03EC5jDtGI/AAAAAAAACMQ/gm_PX_hVIIo/s1600/13562124043_3cab96210e_o.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Chuck Robertson Photography</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KztJuhmVzR4/U03FbJi2JxI/AAAAAAAACMw/2dJbsZNfzWs/s1600/13562061065_521f8a788f_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KztJuhmVzR4/U03FbJi2JxI/AAAAAAAACMw/2dJbsZNfzWs/s1600/13562061065_521f8a788f_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Chuck Robertson Photography</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R-iXMD6oUDQ/U03EAiZJvFI/AAAAAAAACMI/5c8ZZopXoCw/s1600/13562119713_f451e4ac06_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R-iXMD6oUDQ/U03EAiZJvFI/AAAAAAAACMI/5c8ZZopXoCw/s1600/13562119713_f451e4ac06_o.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photo courtesy of Chuck Robertson Photography</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ANS6yIg8Cek/U03FvX-LzEI/AAAAAAAACNA/9OZjEZHCYsE/s1600/13562100523_6d5acdc5a3_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ANS6yIg8Cek/U03FvX-LzEI/AAAAAAAACNA/9OZjEZHCYsE/s1600/13562100523_6d5acdc5a3_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of Chuck Robertson Photography</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-akA0_D_8Lvg/U03D8omLWWI/AAAAAAAACLw/O2Jo1YBDAnU/s1600/13562089413_c6ef25461d_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-akA0_D_8Lvg/U03D8omLWWI/AAAAAAAACLw/O2Jo1YBDAnU/s1600/13562089413_c6ef25461d_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Chuck Robertson Photography</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m9x-XHfwdxA/U03ENcDDhfI/AAAAAAAACMo/yIcPu2mc4tU/s1600/13562327254_f53721e389_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m9x-XHfwdxA/U03ENcDDhfI/AAAAAAAACMo/yIcPu2mc4tU/s1600/13562327254_f53721e389_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Chuck Robertson Photography</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;">The event was held Friday, March 21, 2014 at the Buckhead Theatre and the venue was packed. The show was awesome and we felt honored to be a part. I believe everyone in attendance would agree that the night was special - entertaining and fun, but equally as focused on the reality of childhood cancer, enough so to move people to action. Bailey was so happy and loved performing onstage. She is not a singer, so she played "Wagon Wheel" on the guitar while Emily sang. Their performance left Bo Bice in tears, which touched Bailey (and the rest of us) greatly. These cancer kids have walked through some very dark valleys, so when adults truly care about changing things, the kids are so grateful. It was of little concern to Bailey who Bo was, but more that he was willing to join the fight. These judges...they were the real deal and at the end of the night, Rally Idol raised close to $60,000.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xDXN0JJ-lgI/U03D7BpGekI/AAAAAAAACLo/-dp3_HbBZ_I/s1600/13561685205_8ae315179a_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xDXN0JJ-lgI/U03D7BpGekI/AAAAAAAACLo/-dp3_HbBZ_I/s1600/13561685205_8ae315179a_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Chuck Robertson Photography</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SZVovptd9TE/U03D9jQYX8I/AAAAAAAACL8/N0-dM70iK_Q/s1600/13561834973_93bacde4ec_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SZVovptd9TE/U03D9jQYX8I/AAAAAAAACL8/N0-dM70iK_Q/s1600/13561834973_93bacde4ec_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photo courtesy of Chuck Robertson Photography</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: large;">Thank you to everyone involved. Thank you to the Rally Foundation for allowing Emily Roach to run with her amazing idea. Thank you Emily for dreaming big. Thanks to Shane and Alyson Roach for your dedication to putting a professional show together. Thank you to so many of our friends and family who either donated by voting online or coming out to support Bailey. And thank you most of all to <b>Bo Bice</b>, <b>Lauren Alaina</b>, <b>Haley Reinhart</b> and <b>Anthony Federov</b> for taking time from your very busy lives to fight for these kids who cannot fight for themselves. We need celebrities to get involved in this battle and we are forever grateful that you were willing to do so. It was a moving night and we were blessed to be part of such a special event.&nbsp;</span><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vFHDL22AfDo/U03F0BsoylI/AAAAAAAACNQ/oLFjADtRJKc/s1600/13561729795_14e385f36c_o.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vFHDL22AfDo/U03F0BsoylI/AAAAAAAACNQ/oLFjADtRJKc/s1600/13561729795_14e385f36c_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of Chuck Robertson Photography</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5597522930255313112.post-5974097873917110752014-02-15T17:49:00.000-05:002015-08-14T16:51:55.744-04:00Pray...TheTruth365 <span style="font-size: large;">Please listen to this beautiful song, sign the petition and then share the link. The goal is 100,000 signatures by February 25. It is an easy way to help in the fight against childhood cancer.&nbsp; </span><br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/86277354" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <a href="http://vimeo.com/86277354">"Pray" - Justin Bieber (Cover by Emily Brennan)</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/thetruth365">The Truth 365</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09303470614914061973noreply@blogger.com0